Winter Whispers
by MaskedWriterofClosetPleasures
Summary: Jaden Yuki, a chosen Duelist with the ability to communicate with Duel Spirits, now travels the world to aid both people and spirits. In just six months since his departure, he has been on many adventures. Now, with students disappearing from the well known North Academy, Jaden must scour the frozen tundra for answers to dark questions that have been buried for years.
1. Arrival

**Hello everyone! I'm a relatively new writer on this site and I've really enjoyed using it so far. While I have many passions, storytelling is one of my largest. I'm currently working on two stories at the moment; Yu-Gi-Oh! War of Dimensions and Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Winter Whispers. I typically work on two stories at a time to ensure that I don't get weighed down. Sometimes if I focus on one story to its fruition, it turns into work and loses it fun. Rest assured that I will be uploading a chapter a week for either story. I also would like to take the time to thank you for reading your work and ask that, if you don't mind, you leave a review to let me know what you think of my work. I love constructive criticism and knowing what people think of my work can be a huge motivation. Every word of advice is a way to get better. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

The crisp morning air viciously attacked Jaden's nose as he gazed over the railing of the cargo ship that was steaming towards North Academy. He frowned internally, longing for the warmth he had found while travelling in Italy, most recently in Venice. Plus, the food there was simply marvelous and he doubted he would find similarly delectable meals at his destination. Not that the foo where he was going would be bad just not as good as what he had grown accustom to. In fact, he wouldn't have left so soon had things not have come to his attention. Journeying around the world to aid people and Duel Spirits had been incredibly rewarding work thus far, only with terrible hours and a tendency to land Jaden in some unfavorable situations. Not that he thought his former rival school was an inhospitable place, only that in his line of work there tended to be complications. Yubel materialized behind him, her eyes fixed on the rising sun, invisible to all but Jaden.

"So, why is it we journey so far?" she questioned without taking her eyes off of the gorgeous sight that lay before her. It was the little things that made the world worthy of the sacrifice she had made. Such as watching a sunrise with a beloved friend.

"I'm glad you asked," Jaden piped up with a huge smile despite his chattering teeth, "I'll show you…but only after we get out of this cold!" A chuckle came from Jaden's left as the form of Professor Banner came into existence.

"Perhaps now is a good time to tell you that you forgot your winter clothing!" he jeered as Pharaoh rubbed up against Jaden leg. Jaden glanced down, incredibly jealous of the small creature's fur coat. How could he have forgotten his winter clothes?! This just wasn't fair. His Slifer jacket was more of an accessory than winter clothing.

"Oh, man!" Jaden whined as he darted for the door to begin the slog back to his room, "So much for a pleasant trip!" He began his journey to the belly of the steel beast which bore him passage. His accomodations would have been considered unacceptable by most, filthy and small, but he had always found such things to be cozy. Besides, it was plenty warm in his humble cot. The warm air hugged and seemed to banish all memories of the frigid environment outside. Finally, he entered his room with all of his spiritual companions in tow. It was at this time that he pulled a news article out of his signature jacket and slammed in on his cot.

"You see; I was chilling in that sweet little café on the corner last week. You know, the one with those awesome little chocolate filled bread thingies!" Jaden began before quickly getting derailed by his ultimate distraction; his stomach. Those chocolate filled things sure were good! After a few moments of mentally devouring some of those delicious pastries, he returned his attention to the article that lay on his cot. The article was riddle with various names involved in an apparent scandal that was currently ongoing at North Academy. Several students had simply vanished leaving no trace for the plethora of search teams that had scoured the nearby icy wasteland. The school currently found itself under review for possible closure.

"Ah," Professor Banner exclaimed, "You believe Duel Spirits to be responsible," Jaden nodded his head vigorously as he continued.

"Exactly. When Chazz returned for North Academy he told us all about their entrance requirements. Apparently, you had to construct a deck out of cards scattered around. I don't know about you guys but I wouldn't like to be out alone in that wicked cold all the time!" Jaden explained as the numbness in his hands finally dissipated, the cold weather paling in comparison to the ships heating system.

"I mean, Yubel, don't you feel cold?" Jaden asked as if attempting to prove a point. Yubel turned and faced her human friend.

"It doesn't exactly work like that but I do get a different sensation depending on the weather," she responded. Despite her tolerance of such things, she had been through a lot of pain in her life. Pain which made minor inconveniences almost non-existent. Other Duel Spirits may not be as fortunate.

"I see your points Jaden," Professor Banner added as he shifted his eyes back to his former student, "But what if it is not the Duel Spirits?"

"Bodies disappearing without a trace? Its either Duel Spirits or some nasty guy using shadow magic," Jaden answered with enthusiasm, "Either way, this is our type of gig!" Jaden felt a hand rest on his shoulder. Turning, his eyes met those of a worried Yubel.

"Are you sure now is the time to investigate this?" she began as she gazed into Jaden's eyes, "It has only been six months since leaving Duel Academy and you have already done so much. Plus, you are still recovering from your battle with Paradox. That was quite a struggle!"

"You mean that was quite a game, right?" Jaden rambled as he flashed a huge grin, "That was one of the best duels in my life! Not only did I get to throw down with a villain from the future but I got to team up with my own bro from the future AND the King of Games himself!" Mere thoughts of such experiences were enough to renew the itch that worked its way into Jaden's drawing hand and fill him with excitement. No matter how dire the situation became, Jaden always found a way to have fun with it. That duel, despite its consequences, had quickly risen to be one of his most treasured moments. Seeing him like this was enough for Yubel to temporarily put aside her concerns. It simply amazed her how despite the pain Jaden had gone through and the struggles he had overcome, he always maintained his vibrant, almost child-like, personality. He was truly a remarkable person and she treasure him.

"If I keep jumping through time to duel with idols, I'll end up in the history books," Jaden continued excitedly, "Not that anybody actually reads those!" Jaden let out a hearty laugh as he tussled his messy hair. It was true that he was no academic. That was always Bastion.

"Besides, if there's people in trouble and I can help than I have to. I'm fine," Jaden finished as he snatched up the article from the bed and stuffed it back into his jacket, "Come on, guys, this'll be a blast!" It was true. Ever since he had dueled against Yugi, he had truly reclaimed the joy he used to have when dueling. Something he had temporarily lost during his last year and after the awful experiences in the other dimensions. Deep down he truly loved what he was doing with his life. He was helping people and duel spirits, all the while stumbling from one incredible game to the next. Whenever he fell short of funds, he'd simply win a local "cash'n'go" tournament before moving on. His life was one of constant adventure and he adored every second of it.

"Very well," Yubel reluctantly relented with a sigh, "Just promise me that if that changes, you will tell me."

"Of course, Yubel!" Jaden exclaimed as he began to assemble his items and prepare for his departure, "You worry too much!"

"Attention! We will be arriving at North Port in five minutes!" a voice boomed over the intercom. Jaden couldn't fight the grin that spread across his face as he imagined his upcoming adventure. This was sure to be awesome. His thoughts were interrupted by Professor Banner.

"Is not Miss Rhodes currently attending her next level of schooling here?" Professor Banner inquired as Jaden shifted to pack Pharaoh back into his bag. The cat growled and hissed as it dodged Jaden's hand. A mighty struggle broke out between him and the small, furry beast and quite a comical one at that.

"What?" Jaden asked, slightly out of breath, as he finally managed to catch the agile cat in his grasp, much to the distress of Pharaoh. It had been so long since he had thought of Alexis. She was an incredible duelist and her skills were only matched by her beauty. That's why she had been known as the Obelisk Queen back at Duel Academy. The boys wanted her and the girls wanted to be her. Not to mention she was one of Jaden's dearest friends. A pang of guilt stabbed at his heart as he came to realize that he recalled nothing of Alexis' plans.

"No," he sputtered as he stuffed the cat into his bag, "Wait! How would you know?"

"I believe Miss Rhodes put such information in her letter to you, like many of your former classmates," Professor Banner replied. It was at that moment it all came flooding back to him. All of his friends, and even some of his teachers, had written him a farewell letter, placing it on Pharaoh's collar and it had contained such information. Jaden felt more guilt creep in for overlooking such a detail regarding a close friend but that guilt would quickly be washed away by excitement.

"Well this is great!" Jaden began as his smirk evolved into a face-splitting grin, "We'll take care of this problem and then kick it with 'Lex at North Academy for a few days! This'll be a blast!" Yubel shifted her gaze back to her youthful friend, whom she had guard for all of his life. He was everything to her. Within him once lay the spirit of the Prince she had sacrificed everything for. He had even sacrificed parts of his humanity, with no regard for what that could have meant to him, to reunite her with that spirit, the spirit of her love. For that she would be eternally grateful. Unfortunately, some older habits were hard to break and she still found herself feeling overprotective of Jaden. Even thinking of that girl was enough to put Yubel in a state of unease. She couldn't bare it if something bad happened to him. However, if she made him happy then she would hold her tongue.

"So, are we going to North Academy, first?" Yubel asked in an attempt to rejoin the conversation. It startled her how quickly Jaden could transform from cheerful to solemn and serious. In an instant, she could see all the pain and trials flood back into his eyes.

"No," he spoke flatly, losing the cheer in his voice, "We'll head to the barren wastes that lay between the mountains and the school, figure out what is going on, stop it, and then we'll go to North Academy." Professor Banner and Yubel shot each other a brief look of concern. Both of them knew it was unwise to make such a decision but they could understand why Jaden would act in such a manner. Deep down, he still felt guilty for all the trials and ordeals that he felt he had put his friends through. All the pain and suffering inflicted on them were, in his eyes, his fault. Danger seemed attracted to him and his friends always appeared to suffer for it. He had even succumbed to darkness, itself, and been the direct cause of such pain. As a result of that traumatic experience, he was committed to ensuring he never put his friends through such trials again. Despite the numerous times that Professor Banner, Yubel, and even his friends had told him it wasn't his fault, that was what he continued to believe. Although he had reclaimed the fire and joy that once lit up his heart, he kept the darkness of memory.

"Very well. Just know that you never walk alone as long as I am here," Yubel replied warmly as she mustered the sincerest smile she could. No harm would come to this boy under her dutiful watch.

"Thank you," Jaden murmured with his eyes firmly shut before he turned to see his spirit friends fade away. The time had come for him to embark on his next adventure. There would be peril, yes, but there would also be thrill with outcomes both good and bad. It would etch another chapter in the continuing saga of his life and he was anxious to get it started. He never even liked English class! One thing he was certain of, however, was that with his Duel Spirits by his side he would never go it alone. It was a fact for which he remained truly grateful. As long as that remained true, he knew he would prevail.

"Well, time to get going!" Jaden announced as he began his stroll out of his room. Truthfully, a part of him was anxious to get off of the sea-faring vessel. His accommodations had been more than acceptable to him but he always preferred being on dry land. He never would have made it as "First Mate" of that Sea Duel Academy. That experience was problem what encouraged his discomfort with the water. As he walked through the ships interior, several sailors scrambled about as they frantically worked to ensure a safe docking. Along the way, Jaden noticed a faint glimmer, almost an aura, around one sailor in particular.

The man stood tall, much taller than Jaden, with the physique of a man molded by the sea. Sweat glistened off his brow and sullied his long, greasy, black hair. He sported a full-grown beard that was as messy as his hair and not trimmed in the slightest. He wore a large fluffy coat to protect him from the outside air and it seemed apparent that he had merely forgot to doff it upon beginning his duties. It was obvious that this was a well-seasoned sailor and it was also apparent that he hadn't bathed in several days. Still, Jaden felt compelled to engage the man and began walking towards him.

"Excuse me, sir," the man spoke humbly as he finally took note of the strange young man before him, "It isn't safe for ye' to be down here. Best you up top!"

"Oh, of course," Jaden replied with a light hearted chuckled, "I'm sorry about that. Do you think you could show me the way? I'm a bit lost!" The man's brow furrowed in a mixture of thought, frustration, and conflict. He was extremely busy but he couldn't just let a passenger wander around down below and get hurt.

"Aye lad, just follow me," the sailor grunted before turning towards the same room, "Oi! O'Brian?! I'll be right back; I'm just taking a civie up top!"

"Al'ight, don't take too long though!" a voice called back as the sailor began to guide Jaden through the hall, walking rather briskly.

"Thanks buddy," Jaden added enthusiastically as he trailed behind the man, "The name is Jaden, by the way. Jaden Yuki."

"Folks 'round here call me Greggor," the man grunted back, ducking under a low hanging support beam above him. The pair continued through the ship as curiosity dug its way into Greggor's mind. Just who was this young man and what had he been doing so deep in the bowels of the ship? There was something else about the kid, too, he just couldn't place it but he felt as though he could trust the lad.

"What is it ya' think you were doing down here anyway?" Greggor finally asked, succumbing to the curiosity. Jaden let out an embarrassed chuckle as he scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, actually my room was down here!" Jaden responded cheerfully, losing neither the speed nor vigor he maintained in his pace.

"But, what little passenger space we have is on the upper deck!" Greggor rebuffed dumbfounded. The lower levels were no place for a kid of his age to stay. He would have been exposed to heat, chemicals, and a wide variety of discomforts. Not to mention substandard chow. Yet this young man acted as if it were a pleasure cruise.

"No joke! Those cabins are sick but I liked it down here. It was cozy," Jaden replied, "Besides, I could never have afforded one of those fancy rooms!"

"Aye, I could understand that. Most of our load is cargo so what little room we have for passengers is expensive," Greggor admitted, "Still, what in the blazes could be so important you were willin' to ride in the belly o' the beast?" Greggor shook his head for a moment. He had no idea why he was being so open with this young man. In over a decade of sailing the waters, not once had he been so engaged with a passenger. Aside for his direct crewmates, he hardly spoke to anyone at all. Jaden twisted his face as he pondered his response to such a question, the pair reaching the bottom of the stairs and beginning their climb

"Checkin' up on a good friend, "Jaden finally replied, "What about you, Greggor? What brings you here?"

"Me? Well, this is me lovely hood, lad, and the only way I can support me family. It doesn't pay much but it puts food on the table," Greggor replied as they began to inch toward the top of the ship. The higher they climbed, the more they left the warmth of the inner ship. The metal walls of the ship quickly morphed, becoming harsh and cold, as they approached a hatchway. Immediately upon its opening, the pair found themselves bombarded by the frigid air. Jade quickly retracted his arms, conserving as much heat as he could. He began to regret forgetting his jacket. The air seemed to pass right through his skin and chilled his bones.

"Here ye are, Jaden," Greggor spoke as he turned to return below to his duties, "Hope ye have save travels."

"Thanks!" Jaden replied cheerfully before he reached out to stop the man, "By the way, do you play Duel Monsters?" Greggor screeched to a halt, startled by the question the young man had posed. It had been a long time since he had held a card. He had never been good and wasn't even able to qualify for a community duel school but that never stopped him from loving the game. However, ever since starting a family he had to change his focus. He had responsibilities now and his deck back home had been collecting dust ever since.

"In me youth, boy, in me youth," Greggor sighed as he hovered at the top steps, the brisk air penetrating the ship. He knew he had to return to his duties below, and he was quite anxious to get out of the cold, yet he felt compelled to stay. Something about this young man enthralled him. He was clearly a different type of person.

"It's never too late to get your game one! I've got something for you!" Jaden began as he dropped his large duffle bag to the ground and began to search for something intensely. Greggor turned around, confused, as Jaden let out cry of triumph as he pulled out what he had been searching for; a Duel Monsters card.

"Here, I want you to have this," Jaden began as he handed him the card, "Something tells me it belongs with you!" Greggor grasped the card timidly as his eyes darted over it.

"The Legendary Fisherman?" Greggor muttered as he gazed at the card. It certainly wasn't the strongest nor rarest card in the game but as he held it in his hands it just felt right. He couldn't explain it. It was as if he was truly meant to possess that particular card but how could a total stranger know that? A kid, at that?

"I know it isn't the best card in the game there but it isn't about that," Jaden began as if he could read Greggor's thoughts, "As long as the right card is in the right player's deck, it becomes the strongest and best card out there. Something just tells me I did just that!"

"T-Thank you," Greggor mutter in disbelief as he continued to stare blankly at his card. He couldn't deny that the young man's-Jaden's- words had hit true to him. Every single word struck to his heart and made absolute sense. Jaden appeared to speak with a wisdom beyond his years. This card seemed to call to Greggor and he couldn't understand why this stranger, a kid, had simply given it to him. Jaden smirked as he glanced to the side of the boat.

"It's chill," Jaden responded cheerfully before a gust of wind assaulted his body, "Literally!" It was at this moment that Greggor noticed the young man's lack of winter jacket.

"Oi! Do ya' have a winter jacket?" Greggor asked, confused as to why he felt such concern for this young man whom he barely knew. Jaden let out a hearty laugh, his breath hovering like clouds in the wind.

"I kinda forgot it at home," Jaden replied with a chuckle as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. It wasn't as it he had intended for it to happen but he was just so forgetful. Greggor shook his head at the kid, a look of conflict on his face. The kid was an idiot but he had a big heart and didn't deserve to freeze. After a few moments, he unbuttoned his own heavy coat.

"What are ya'? Daft?" he began as he tossed his coat at Jaden, "Here, you can borrow this one but I expect it back someday!"

"Really?!" Jaden responded as he caught the jacket, "Thanks! I owe you one!"

"Consider us even, lad. Stay safe out there," Greggor spoke softly as he turned to return below deck to his duties. Though their encounter had been short, he was certain he would remember that quirky young man for the rest of his days.

"Thanks! You, too!" Jaden replied as he watched the sailor disappear below and turned to face the wind. It was at this moment that Jaden noticed the stench that permeated from the heavy winter coat. A week at sea had done it few favors.

"Tell me you are not going to wear that thing," Professor Banner's voice echoed from Jaden's pack. Jaden pondered it for but a second. The jacket was putrid but it was far better than facing the elements exposed.

"You bet I am!" Jaden replied as he put on the rancid coat, "Sure it smells bad but it beats the cold!" Jaden strolled towards the guard rail, the frigid wind freezing his hair as he gazed at the sea. The ship was floating into dock now but from his angle he could still see the open ocean. As another gust of wind approached, he found himself to be very grateful for the jacket. Sure, it wasn't the most pleasant scent but it sure was warm. Out of the corner of his eyes, Jaden noticed a figure emerge from the frosty depths of the water below. It was the Legendary Fisherman, or his spirit anyway.

"Welcome home, buddy," Jaden whisper as he watched the Duel Spirit disappear back into the ocean, "Glad I could help," The ship finally made contact with the dock as passengers began to flood the gangway. All of them except Jaden who waited patiently by the guardrail.

"See guys? We've already done some good here," Jaden began as he prepared to take his spot in the chaos, "Now, let's get out there and get our investigation on!"

* * *

"For today's test, everyone will enter their own unique Duel Simulator," a large, bulky teacher sporting a thick Russian accent began, "Inside, each of you will have a unique simulation but all at the same difficulty level. This is to prepare you for the coming midterms. Your goal? To win that duel in a single turn!" Alexis sat up in her seat, her eyes fixated on her teacher. It had only been six months since she had elected to pursue the next level of dueling education and already she had learned that this level was far different from the one she had left. It was much harder and extremely vigorous. Her class had started with well over a hundred students. Now, only twenty remained but that included her. She had risen to every challenge and set herself apart from her competition. She never boasted about it but, deep down, she felt a great deal of pride. Confidently, she raised her arm to signal the teacher that she had a question.

"Da, Miss Rhodes?" the teacher called out as he looked at his star pupil. Although he was proud of each and every one of his students, he was most impressed with Alexis. He had pushed her harder than any student. She had graduated from Duel Academy as an Obelisk Blue, after all, and that meant she had to be good. As such, he had to challenge her in new ways. He could always count on her to push herself harder than the native North Academy grad students.

"Will we be using our cards, Professor Panchekov?" she asked as she leaned forward, listening attentively. A disturbing smile spread across Professor Panchekov's face.

"Niet," he began as he turned away from his class, "At this level, I would expect you to win with your own decks. Now, it is time for you to prove your mastery of the game but using a different deck!"

"What?" another student cried out, "That's absurd, nobody duels without their own deck! This is ridiculous!"

"Is that so, Mister Ronelli?" Professor Panchekov hissed as he approached the terrified young man's seat, "I should give example, da?"

"Uhm…" the young man shivered as he stared deep into the eyes of his menacing teacher, "Yes, sir?" Mister Panchekov darted way from the man and towards his board, prompting a frightened shriek from the young student. Alexis chuckled and rolled her eyes. She was certain this was all a big show and while Mister Panchekov could frighten the other students, they couldn't frighten her. What concerned her, however, was the prospect of not using her own cards. She had never gone through such a test at Duel Academy. This really was the next level of Duel Mastery.

"The KaibaCorp Grand Championship tournament was held by Seto Kaiba to mark the opening of Kaiba Land," Professor Panchekov spoke through his thick accent as he scribbled on his chalk board, "Before the tournament, a hacker from competitor SchroederCorp had hacked into the Kaiba Dome and held the building hostage,"

"The only way out was to defeat their duel simulation computer which had been set to the maximum difficulty against a novice using a deck with nothing but Dragon-Type Monsters," Professor Panchekov continued, "No Traps, No Spells, No nothing." Alexis shook her head as she struggled to comprehend such a thing. To win without a variety of cards was impossible. You need to have the right balance of magic, traps, and monster cards in order to achieve victory.

"One man, or legend rather, was able to defeat this computer," Professor Panchekov rambled as the class hung on every word, "He did so by holding off until the right moment and then was able to win with but one attack," The classroom fell silent as they pondered such a feat.

"Sir?" one kid asked, raising his hand timidly, "Who was it?"

"His name was Yugi Muto," Professor Panchekov answered before finishing, "Now, who would like to go first," Alexis' arm shot up in a second. This was just the opportunity to see how far she had come in her first semester. She wanted to be a teacher someday and that meant she had to be among the best players of the game. She had studied many strategies and became familiar with many methods to victory. This was the perfect test to see if those long nights had paid off. Professor Panchekov's smile grew as he guided the young lady to her duel simulator. It was a closed off and dark room with a glowing field at its center. There would be no witnessing this duel. It was her against him. On the table sat two duel disks, each already active and displaying a lifepoint counter. She picked hers up and quickly fastened it to her arm as her instructor did the same. The two then took their places in line as she drew her hand. The cards she held were complete strangers and felt foreign in her hands.

"Miss Rhodes," her instructor spoke up, managing to startle her internally and shake her focus momentarily, "You will have one minute to study the cards in your hand, field, and graveyard before the test begins." Alexis gave a confident nod before she leapt into action, scanning every card effect. Her eyes darted from one card to the next in a never-ending cycle of frantic memorization. She had never used these cards before nor had she seen them. At this stage in her education, it wasn't uncommon for teacher's to place fake cards or illegal cards into one's deck to ensure they were paying attention. They also had a tendency to use cards not available to the market yet. Misuse of a new card or playing of a fake or illegal card would result in immediate dismissal. It was simply that competitive. She had to ensure she did everything correctly.

"Time is up, Miss Rhodes. Good luck!" the instructor interjected her thoughts as the dull hum of the holographic projects permeated the room. Immediately, the field was covered in holographic images and things didn't appear to be good. One the other side of the field were two monsters; one of them was the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon. For the first time in a long time, Alexis found herself doubting her abilities. The field then began to morph into a skyline, the ground replacement by soft and puffy clouds, as an ancient temple rose from below. It was the Sky Sanctuary field spell. Alexis continued to gaze across the vast, white expanse that lay before her into the eyes of one of Duel Monster's most powerful creatures.

"A Blue-Eyes White Dragon?!" Alexis spat in disbelief, "That is the card I have to take down?"

"Not only that but, as you can see, this is not your typical game," Professor Panchekov replied with a heart life. Glancing at the lifepoint counter, she realized her teacher was not far from the truth. She currently found herself with eleven thousand two hundred lifepoints up against her instructor's twelve thousand six hundred. It was quite an unorthodox situation. No duel would ever become this outrageous. Players start with four thousand lifepoints.

"Over twelve thousand lifepoints?" Alexis spoke while shaking her head, "Even I have to say this is a little ridiculous, sir."

"A true duelist can overcome anything. Your lifepoints are meaningless. You have to drop me to zero in single turn. Now make your move, Miss Rhodes," Professor Panchekov spat back with a grin. Deep down, he truly enjoyed watching his student squirm. He also enjoyed seeing them overcome his obstacles. Alexis' mind began to race as she went over each monster effect, magic, or trap card that was available to her. The more she stared at the field, the more it began to clear up. It was a puzzle and one she felt she could solve. One she better solve. She currently had one Scapegoat token on the field with three cards facedown staring down a Blue-Eyes White Dragon and a Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger. This wasn't going to be easy but she could do it. Ripping a card from her hand, she swallowed any doubt and slammed it on her duel disk.

"I think I've figured out at least part your little puzzle," Alexis began as her graveyard spat out two cards," I'll start off with the special ability of my Soul of Purity and Light! As long as remove two Light-attribute monster's in graveyard from the game, I can special summon him without a sacrifice! Not only that but my Soul Absorption spell card increases my lifepoints by five hundred for each card removed from play!" As she pulled her two chosen cards from her graveyard, her new creature materialized and her lifepoints rose to twelve thousand two hundred. Her new beast was a beautiful creature, a fairy spirit of purity and light. Alexis couldn't help but feel the name was perfect for such a monster.

"We shall see, Miss Rhodes, I think it is not as easy as you think, da?" Professor Panchekov spat back as he eagerly watched his young pupil. She had made the right opening move but it would take more than that to succeed. He almost didn't expect her to but she would be graded on progress either way. Alexis tore another card from her hand.

"Too bad I have to get rid of such a good monster so soon but I sacrifice my Soul of Purity of Light in order to summon my Airknight Parshath!" Alexis announced as her brightly lit monster faded from existed, replaced by a fairy warrior clad in shining armor. Alexis shook her head slightly. This deck had a lot of beautiful monsters but would they be good enough for her to ace this test? Tapping a button on her duel disk, one of her facedown cards rose from the ground dramatically,

"Next, I'll play Miraculous Descent!" she announced as her card shot out a blinding bright light, "Whenever a Fairy-Type Monster Is removed from play, I'm allowed to special summon it with this card. So now, I'm bringing back my Agent of Force – Mars!" The smile on Professor Panchekov's face grew even wider. Perhaps he had underestimated his star pupil. Perhaps she could ace this test and ruin the curve for any remaining slackers.

"But that's not all, I activate the spell card Inferno Reckless Summon!" Alexis continued as she slammed another card into her duel disk, "Whenever I special summon a monster with fifteen hundred or less attack points, this card lets me summon any card with the same name from my deck, hand, or graveyard!"

"True, but now I can summon a second Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger in Defense mode!" Professor Panchekov rebutted as his new creature materialized in existence. Alexis still smirked as three more of her Agents appeared on the field. Although they had zero attack points, they each had an incredible special ability. Still, she had to play every card right in order to pull this off. Her Agent of Force – Mars monster card's attack points would become the difference between her and her instructor's lifepoints if she took the lead. The only question was how to do it. Alexis struggled to find the answer as she re-read each card over and over again. She knew she could solve this puzzle but for whatever reason the answer eluded her. She knew that her Agents would be the key to victory.

"An impressive performance, Miss Rhodes," Professor Panchekov began, shaking his head dejectedly, "But I'm afraid- "

"Now, I'll attack your Blue-Eyes White Dragon with my Scapegoat token!" Alexis cried, cutting off her teacher mid-sentence as her fluffy goat charged the mighty dragon.

"What?!" Professor Panchekov spat out in disbelief as he gazed at his confident young student. Had she figured it out? If not, this would be an incredibly foolish move.

"What?" Alexis asked with a smirk, "I'm only doing what you asked of me. Winning the duel in one turn." Professor Panchekov tilted his head as he struggled to figure out what was running through Alexis' mind. If she had figured out the solution, her next move would be obvious. If she hadn't then her next move would be a complete miss. Her efforts were still admirable and even if she stumbled, she had already done more than enough to pass in his eyes.

"I activate the magic card Inferno Tempest," Alexis continued, "I can only use this card if take three thousand or more points of damage but it has a nasty little effect. Well, nasty for you anyway. This card removes every monster in each of our decks and graveyards from the game!"

"But that means- "Professor Panchekov stuttered stunned that his star pupil had truly discovered the path to victory. Alexis continued to beam with excitement but remained calm and collected on the surface. She truly loved this game and loved the sensation she got while dueling. There was only one person she had ever met that she could believe loved the game more than her.

"That's right," Alexis affirmed as she pointed to her Soul Absorption card, "Which means Soul Absorption gives me four thousand points! Now, time to chip away some of yours! Airknight Parshath, destroy his first Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger!" Her monster sprang into action, brandishing a sword that appeared to be made of pure light. It charged forward and with one swing of its mighty sword it cut the crystal beast in half. A shriek echoed from the creature before it shattered from existence and the first of Professor Panchekov's lifepoints fell. A smile grew on his face as he gazed upon his star pupil. This hadn't been an easy test of skill. To ask someone to use strange cards on short notice in such a dire situation was asking for a miracle. It seemed that Alexis Rhodes was the miracle.

"Next, I activate the spell card Celestial Transformation!" Alexis continued as her card rose up and began to emit a bright beam of light, "This allows me to summon on Fairy-Type monster from my hand with half of its normal attack strength and I'm using it to summon my Neo-Parshath, the Sky Paladin in Attack Mode!" From her hand sprung another warrior, bathed in blinding light, with armor that shimmered to life. It was clearly an elegant creature with a mighty power and though it would be destroyed at the end of the turn by Celestial Transformation's effect it would be an incredible asset. It didn't need to survive and it didn't need to use all of its attack points, just its special ability.

"Now, I'll attack your second Tiger with my Sky Paladin!" Alexis screamed as her new creature of light demolished the other remaining tiger, "Also, the difference of my monster's attack points is subtracted from your lifepoints!" Alexis glanced over at her three Agents, waiting for their attack point reader would change. This would be the decided factor over whether or not she had truly solved the puzzle. Moments of eternity seemed to slide by before her monsters' attack points began to sharply rise. They continued to rise rapidly before halting at three thousand one hundred and fifty, more than enough to defeat the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"Yes!" Alexis cried out as she smirked, "Agent of Force, attack the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Professor Panchekov watched his mighty dragon, one of the most well-known and fear cards in the game, fell before Alexis' Agent of Force- Mars. He was defenseless and in the position that he had intended Alexis to fight her way into. It was quite impressive. Alexis had picked up random cards and dueled with them as if they were her own. Her next two direct attacks would reduce him to zero due to Agent of Force – Mars' special ability; as his lifepoints fell lower than her own, her monsters would get stronger. She was going to pass this test on the first try with flying colors. He had expected much from his star pupil but nothing like this.

"Then, I'll finish you off with my last two monsters!" Alexis announced as her remaining beasts charged into action, closing the distance before striking Professor Panchekov with their holographic swords. He clutched his chest with a grimace of pain as his lifepoints plummeted to zero. Alexis stood with a beaming smile as the hum of the holographic projectors died down and the field vanished. She had passed the test. She had done something that few students had ever accomplished. She had gotten a perfect score on one of Professor Panchekov's surprise tests.

"Simply amazing, Miss Rhodes," Professor Panchekov spoke with cheer through his overbearing accent as he began to walk across the field, "In all of my years teaching here, I have never seen anybody tackle this test with the ease in which you did!"

"Thank you, Professor," Alexis replied with a respectful bow. Deep down, however, she was ecstatic. Everyone knew about the Blue-Eyes White Dragon as well as its legendary keeper. Few had ever faced this beast and successfully destroyed it and only one defeated its keeper time and time again. Despite the fact that this had merely been an exam with a fictional set up designed to test Alexis' ability to think on her feet, she still felt as though she had joined a small crowd. As she follower her teacher from the exam room, re-entering the classroom which hung in deafening silence, she wondered if any of her classmates would face the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Only time would tell.

"Thank you, Miss Rhodes, that will be all today," Professor Panchekov began, shooting Alexis a warm smile before it turned into grim determination, "Mister Ronelli? Perhaps you would care to go next, da?" The smaller student jumped from his seat nervously upon hearing his name. Swallowing his dread, he took one step closer.

"Uhm, yes, sir?" he asked timidly, hanging his head low as he walked towards his teacher. Alexis felt bad for him. Ronelli always had had confidence issues. It was amazing that he had survived four years of primary at North Academy before this. Still, Alexis had a soft spot for the underdog.

"Good luck, David, I know you can do this!" she whispered to him as he passed by giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. He weakly smiled back and looked at her.

"Thanks, Alexis," he muttered before shuffling forward into the duel room. With a loud whisk, the door slammed shut and Alexis was sure that the duel had gone underway. She glanced over at the remainder of her classmates as her thoughts drifted to other things that lay on her mind.

"Good luck, everyone!" she said as she began to walk out of the room, "I have some-uh-things to take care of!" Murmurs mixed with various emotions returned to Alexis as she departed the room and began to walk down the hall. Her arm still shook with the excitement she had felt from acing the test but she had important things to do. The semester was coming to a close. Midterms and papers would begin to flood her time and remove all of her free time. This had the unfortunate result of placing large amounts of stress and expectations on Alexis' shoulder and while she never shied away from a challenge it was taxing. Not to mention, all of this was going down in the middle of a school crisis. Several students had disappeared recently and the school was facing a formal investigation. She had known some of the students prior to their unfortunate fate. It was the Abandoned Dorm all over again and that still brought out some bad memories. Still, if she could help in any way, she would. Turning the corner, Alexis noticed a large group of students shuffling about in the hallway. She gave them a warm smile, greeting them as she walked past. It was a long walk to her dorm room but she had no intentions of talking to anybody. Her thoughts began to drift back to those darker memories and their current parallels. Those thoughts would lead to one person in particular, Jaden Yuki.

She stopped in the middle of the hallway as she thought of her dear friend. It had been months since he had heard from him. Months since he left without saying good-bye. He had important work to do and he was special but she would have preferred one last conversation. He was a constant source of inspiration, a man who found the fun in every situation. She had been devastated when it appeared as though he had lost that and ecstatic when it appeared he would reclaim it. She sighed as she resumed her brisk pace forward. It would probably be a long road until he returned to that happy-go-lucky kid he had been when he first arrived. Undoubtedly, the type of work he did and the things that made him special would delay that recovery and place him in further harm. Wherever he was, Alexis simply hoped he was doing okay.

"Back so soon?" a male voice pierced through the veil thoughts that had besieged her mind as she finally entered the residential area. Her eyes darted for the source of the interruption. It was one of the newer male students. He bore messy blonde hair, reading glasses, and wore a black tee shirt bearing a skull and jeans in lieu of a school uniform. He was on almost every discipline panel and had received every punishment available in record time, barring expulsion. The reason for his unfathomable security was his superior intelligence. He had the smarts to back up his attitude and had quickly become one of Alexis' friends. His name was Jason Blue.

"Oh," Alexis began startled, "Yeah, I just passed one of Professor Panchekov's tests and that was all he had for the day!"

"Really? Well, good for you!" Blue replied as he adjusted the rather large black backpack he had strapped around one arm.

"Where are you off to?" Alexis asked as she took noted of Blue's bag. He was always very private about his backpack and there were several bets going on across campus as to its contents. It ranged from rare cards, to money, to the secret of life. Everywhere he went, he always had that bag.

"Just the shop," he replied curtly with an inviting smile. Alexis chuckled, rolling her eyes as she continued her conversation with her friend.

"Again?" she asked, "You've been there every night this week."

"Well, I'm working on something big right now, 'Lex" he replied with a slight shrug.

"You want to fill me in?" Alexis queried with a raised eyebrow, "What could possibly be taking up so much of your time?"

"You know I can't tell you that," he replied with a wink, "It's top secret!" Alexis frowned, shooting a look of slight irritation to her friend. He always kept his projects to himself. The only people who knew what he was working on were the other students in the technical shop and they were a close knit group. In fact, aside for Blue, Alexis had never actually spoken to any of them. They were typically the recluses of the school but incredibly smart and valued.

"Where are you off to?" he asked, "You aren't going to go back out looking for those students again, are you?"

"Something is going on and it just doesn't feel right!" Alexis explained, "I just can't help but feel like something bigger is going on here. Not just students getting lost in a storm."

"Well, you aren't going anywhere today," Blue spoke firmly as he readjusted his pack. It was extremely heavy due its contents and could wear down his shoulder.

"And why is that?" Alexis asked, slightly annoyed at Blue's tone.

"Haven't you seen the news?" Blue began in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, "There is a huge storm rolling in. With everything going on the way it is, campus is going to be shut down. You aren't going anyway," Alexis let out a deep sigh, hanging her shoulders in defeat. The past several days she had taken to going out and scouring the wilderness for her missing students. Not only was the fiasco effecting her educational aspirations but some of her friends had been named among the missing. She would go to any distance for a friend and would gladly brave the storm for them. However, North Academy had some incredible security so if they truly were locking the place down she was stuck. She would simply have to go out early in the morning.

"Anyway, why don't you get some sleep, 'Lex," Blue added warmly as he squeezed passed her and began to walk away, "I'll talk to you later, man!"

"Later, Blue," Alexis replied as she strolled forth with noticeably less vigor. There weren't many students in the residential area. Some had cleared out due to the fiasco, others were and class, and others were locked in their rooms for fear of being kidnapped. It wasn't the best time to be a student at North Academy but Alexis was determined to make it work. She had faced down far too much to be dissuaded at this point in her life, even though most of the time she had Jaden to help her. Opening her door, she paused for but a moment. Why had she suddenly started thinking of Jaden out of the blue? Alexis entered her room, locking the door, as she gazed upon the two beds.

Her roommate, Marcella, had been one of the missing students. The two had been one of the few girls in attendance at North Academy and forged a quick, but tight, bond. Marcella had aspirations to be an official tournament judge in the Pro League and was pursing an advanced degree in Duel Monster's Laws. It was an incredibly demanding and time consuming endeavor but it was her passion. It had been little over a week since she vanished and Alexis was no closer to finding her.

"Sorry, Marcella," she whispered to herself, "I'll have to go out looking for you tomorrow," With a heavy sigh, she plopped down on her bed. Guilt and a feeling of helplessness crept into her heart. Alexis felt as though she were letting down her friend and abandoning her to her fate. It wasn't in Alexis' spirit to feel otherwise. They were friends and Alexis was loyal to Marcella. They looked after each other, like when Marcella helped Alexis with a young stalker who couldn't understand Alexis' denial. Even though Alexis sprang into action after she vanished, she had gotten no closer to finding her. Jaden would have found her by now. He just had a way with things. Alexis shot up off her bed as a look of confusion and thought overcame her face.

Why was she thinking so much about Jaden today? While it was true he was never far from her mind, she was usually so focused she didn't have time to think about him. Alexis bent down below her bed, retrieving an item from underneath its mattress; her Duel Academy Yearbook. She flipped through the pages as a smile spread across her face. Each page brought with it another memory from her time at the prestigious school; the good and the bad. It had been a memorable experience for sure and deep down she longed to be back in those days. She came across the Slifer Red section of the yearbook and quickly found the boy that was occupying her world. She laughed to herself. His hair was in a mess but his goofy grin illustrated just how bright his soul truly shined. It was also funny how, after four years of being the Academy's finest duelist, he had chosen to remained a Slifer. He could have climbed the rank system voraciously but had simply chosen not to but then again that was just who Jaden was. He was incredible and Jaden had also done something no other boy at the school could do. Jaden had managed to steal her heart.

Alexis let out another sigh, shaking her head slightly at the picture. It had been during the tag team tournament their senior year that she had come to realize just how deeply she felt for the young man. It had come as bit of a surprise to her because she was always committed more to dueling than finding a relationship. She just never counted on finding someone like that during her school years. However, he appeared oblivious to her feelings. This, coupled with the differing paths they were walking, was one of the reasons she had ultimately decided not to tell him during their last conversation. It was one of the few things about her time at Duel Academy she had regretted.

"I should have told him," Alexis admitted to herself with half of a frown, "I guess it is true. You regret the things you don't do more than the things you fail at." She had just been afraid. Afraid of what admitting those feelings would mean for her and her dream and just what it would mean for him. Regardless, it was too late. As she had suspected, the two had gone on different paths. They hadn't even spoken in the six months since they graduated. Alexis suspected that both of them would turn out just fine. Still, she would have preferred it if she had told him how much he meant to her. Rising from her bed, she stared out the window into the growing storm outside.

"Wherever you are, Jaden," she whispered as she placed her hand on the glass, "I hope you're happy!"

* * *

"I am really not happy right now!" Jaden cried over the howling wind, "You would think someone in the port would have warned a guy walking towards the mountains about a storm!"

"Jaden, we must seek shelter!" Professor Banner spoke, his voice flooded with urgency. The harsh winds cut through Jaden's face like daggers of ice. The cold itself had saturated through Greggor's coat and would have cut Jaden down were he only clad in his Slifer jacket. It made Greggor's gift far more meaningful.

"Tell me something I don't know!" Jaden shouted back annoyed as he continued to trudge forward. The snow crunched beneath his feet as each step became a struggle. He had long since lost feeling in his feet which had to be a bad sign. Perhaps this wasn't the time of year to pay a visit to North Academy. Jaden's eyes squinted as he tried desperately to pierce the blinding wall of snow before him. To make matters worse, the sun would soon set.

"Jaden, there should be caves somewhere!" Yubel added as Jaden struggled forth, "If we find one, I can make a fire!"

"Yubel is correct, Jaden. I believe our odds of finding a cave would be highest in that direction!" Professor Banner contributed as he pointed to the east. Jaden shrugged his shoulders in frustration. East it was then. Jaden just hoped that he could find a cave to seek shelter in before he succumbed to the cold. This was not the way he felt that he would go out. He always assumed it would be something awesome like flying into a sun or something.

"You hangin' on back there, Pharaoh?!" Jaden yelled over the roaring wind. Though it was barely audible, Jaden could hear the dire cry from the terrified feline. He couldn't blame the cat. Things really were not looking up for the young man. He continued onward as the sun began its slow descent, dragging the temperature down as it fell. Yubel and Professor Banner struggled to keep Jaden engaged to ensure he didn't succumb to the frigid temperature.

"Who would build a scho- "Jaden began before his eyes locked in on something in the distance, "A cave!"

"Excellence! We may just make it, yet!" Professor Banner exclaimed as he shot a worried look at his former student. Jaden had lost a lot of color in his face and exhaustion would eventually take its toll.

"As long as no one else is in the cave," Yubel added firmly. She had to be cautious. Jaden was in no state of mind to comprehend such possible threats."

"Yubel? Optimism?" Jaden whined as he began to run towards the cave. Exhaustion began to crawl up his legs as he slowly closed the distance. Despite his speed, it appeared as though the cave was actually getting further with each step. Yet, he pushed forward taking huge gulps of the frigid air and leaving behind clouds of breath. This was the single greatest feat of Jaden's life. At least it felt that way at the moment. Finally, he found a reprieve. Stumbling into the safety of the small cavern. It was exactly that, small, and was only twenty feet deep. Jaden fell to his knees as he let out a laugh of triumph, delirious with exhaustion. Though it was only slight, Jaden could tell the difference in temperature.

"You can't rest yet, Jaden, "Yubel began as she looked down with worry at her friend, "You have to get out something I can light ablaze," Jaden nodded in agreement, too tired to respond, before a brilliant thought came to mind. First, he pulled the news article from his coat and place it upon the ground before digging into his pack. Pharaoh let out a cry of pain as Jaden accidently grabbed his tall before his numb hands found their true target; his old Duel Monsters History book. Pulling it out, he slammed it upon the ground.

"I never did like that class and I never read this stupid thing anyway!" Jaden jabbed as Yubel shot a blast of energy at it. In an instant, the book was transformed into a blazing fire. Warmth hugged Jaden's faced and quickly raised the temperature in the cave. Jaden let out an exhausted cry of relief as Pharaoh jumped from the bag and curled up by the fire. Jaden had made it; he would be fine.

"We should wait out the storm in here," Professor Banner spoke softly as he looked down at his cat lovingly. The one thing he missed about being human was being able to pet the soft creature. Still, he was thankful for even having the ability to carry on after death.

"My thoughts exactly!" Jaden muttered as he buried himself back into his bag. After a few moments of struggle, he reemerged with the items he needed to string up a small tent. He began the process of hastily putting up what would be his house. The wind roared just outside the cave and occasional gusts of frigid air would find their way in the small space. The fire crackled and danced as Jaden finally put down the last peg, erecting his humble tent. Jaden plopped down on his sleeping bag as his muscles began to ache from the trials of the day. He was exhausted and sleep would undoubtedly find his way quickly. A foreign object squeezed up next to his side. Looking down, a warm smile spread across his face as he realized it was Pharaoh cuddling up to him for warmth.

"I think I'm gonna rack out guys!" Jaden said with a yawn as his eyelids continued to get heavier. Both Professor Banner and Yubel looked down with a warm look on their faces. Yubel then turned to face the cave entrance.

"Goodnight, Jaden. Rest well. I will watch over you," she spoke softly as Professor Banner disappeared back inside of his faithful cat. Within moments, the battered pride of Duel Academy had fallen asleep.

* * *

A small light, barely distinguishable in the blinding flurry of snow, could be seen from the small cave. On a small plateau overlooking the vast snow covered expanse stood a long shadowy figure, unfazed by the storm. He stared down solemnly at the small light. It was as though this small light could represent the small hope that still remained in this region, dwindling in the darkness of the storm. The chosen duelist had finally arrived. It had only been a matter of time but his arrival would undoubtedly complicate matters. It might be best to strike first.

"My lord," the figure spoke as he gazed down at the small cave, "It appears that the one who can talk to the spirits has finally taken notice,"

"Jaden Yuki?" another voice replied.

"Yes, master. Should I dispatch of him now?" the figure asked as the snow continued to race around him. Each gust of wind did little to dissuade his efforts.

"No," the voice responded firmly, "There is little he can do to stop us now,"

"But my lord, he is weak now and I could easily dis- "the figure reasoned before his ominous master cut him.

"It matters not. Return to the temple. It is time to initiate Phase Three," the voice finished. The figure twisted his head about, taking a deep and frosty breath.

"Very well, my lord. It will be done," the figure replied as he took one last look at the cave, "Rest well now, Jaden Yuki, for you too will lose everything in the frozen waste. As have all that have come before you."


	2. Morning Before the Storm

The sun finally broke through the barricade of clouds that had unleashed the heavy winter storm. That was just the way it was at North Academy; the storms were furious but always short. Alexis rose from her bed, ready to begin her morning routine. Though it would occasionally feel monotonous it helped her stay focus. It was a Friday, so her classes wouldn't start into the afternoon. One of the greatest benefits of secondary dueling school was her freedom to schedule classes as she desired. This left the morning free to go through her daily routine.

First, she would make her way to the residential gym. Exercise, she belied, was a great way to build the discipline required for great dueling. It also had the added benefits of improving one's health and state of mind. As such, she always started the day with a run on the treadmill. The gym was rather vacant for a Friday and Alexis could only assume it was due to the fiasco tying up North Academy at the moment. Many students had already been withdrawn forcibly by their families. The ongoing investigation also served as a disruption for the staff as well. It seemed like a professor could be snatched from a classroom at a moment's notice. This was a weakness that many of the overworked students had quickly taken advantage of. Scanning the room, Alexis recognized few faces but always made sure to greet those she knew warmly. She approached the treadmill, her mind drifting to thoughts of her impending day.

Today was the last day of classes before the study week. Study week was a full week of no official academia intended to give students time to finish semester projects as well as prepare for final exams. North Academy held a firm belief that self-discipline would serve as its own filter and that only those committed would succeed. During this week papers would be written, practice duels would be fought, and nights would be spent cramming strategies and card details. At least, that was what the other students at North Academy would be doing but not Alexis.

Alexis had made a point to finish all of her term papers early. She also maintained the highest marks in her class when it came to examinations and pop duels. Undoubtedly, the previous day's practical exam had improved her already impressive score. She had accumulated more than enough final points to end the semester well. As such, Alexis planned on using the week to search for her missing friends. She owed them that much. Besides that, Alexis never abandoned her friends. She couldn't after everything she had learned during her years at Duel Academy. Perhaps the most important lesson she had learned was that great friendships are more important than dueling greatness. That was what divided the true heroes from the vain.

Alexis panted as she continued her workout, sweat growing across her brow. She was about halfway done at this point and fifteen minutes had passed. It was always impressive how time seemed to fly when she was deep in thought. Her thoughts returned to her day's class. The day's class would likely be what was known as a "pass-out" class. A "pass-out" class was essentially a block of time intended for the dissemination of instructions, materials, and information for the coming exams. Instead of reviewing information, teachers would give out rubrics and basic study guides that were more vague than helpful. This was advanced dueling after all. The positive note was that this would allot her plenty of time to prepare for her adventure out in the cold.

The treadmill let out a loud, audible whine as its belt began to slow to a halt. Tired and sweat, she promptly dismounted and began back to her room. From here, she would continue her routine by showering and getting dress. She still made a point to wear her old Duel Academy uniform. It served as both a reminder of her experiences as well as pride of her accomplishments. It brought out some friendly competition every now and again but that was more of a bonus than a detriment. After her show, Alexis plopped back onto her bed and spared a glance to her clock. She still had plenty of time to spare. Alexis reached over and retrieved two items that lay dormant on her nightstand; an apple and her dueling deck.

Crunching on her apple, Alexis began to lay her cards out on her bed. She felt it was important for a duelist to examine every card in their deck. In this way a duelist could be most in tune with their deck and appreciate every card for the role it played. The game wasn't all about rare cards and math, it was about matching the right cards with the right person. Jaden had taught her that over the four years that had spent at Duel Academy together and as her eyes slid across every card she was certain that these were the right cards for her. Her brow furrowed as she began to question her own trail of thought.

Why had Jaden squeezed back into her mind as of late? While it was true his amazing actions and steadfast heart made him impossible to keep far from thought, it appeared as though in the last few days the frequency with which she thought of him had definitely increased. Perhaps it was the parallels between North Academy's current scandal and that of Duel Academy's many struggles. Perhaps it was the fact that despite his vehement dislike of academia he had actually been a great teacher, leader, inspiration, and friend. Perhaps it was something else.

A smile spread across Alexis' face as she began to shuffle the cards back together. She truly loved the feel of her cards in her hands. It was one of the little moments that Alexis had actually began to overlook until she had met that energetic young Slifer. Now, she made a point to enjoy it every single time. Her thoughts were interrupted by a strong gust of wind that racked against her window. She glanced up at the light emanating from it, fully knowing that it was but an illusion of warmth for the temperature outside was frigid. It was a grossly uncomfortable temperature and one that she would have to brave later that evening. For now though, Alexis found solace in the warmth of her room.

* * *

The morning sun jabbed at Jaden's eye as it began to creep into the small cave. It wasn't much but it was enough to jar the young man from his wondrous sleep. With consciousness came the sudden realization that the fire had gone out during the night. Frosty air began to attack his senses as he consolidate his form. Jaden let out a groggy, irritated moan. How was it that the sun found just the right angle to poke him in the eye? It seemed improbably, or even impossible, and yet it still had happened.

"Five more minutes," Jaden grumbled as he turned about, startling the cat that lay asleep next to him. Pharaoh let out an irritated hiss as a ball of energy escaped from his mouth. It levitated for but a moment before morphing into Professor Banner who glanced back down at his former student with a warm smile. Jaden had always been a very exhausted student who was extraordinary fond of sleep. Still, the matters they had decided to investigate were very important and while the cave did provide a temporary air of security they had to move on.

"The early duelist gets the card, my boy," Professor Banner spoke up, "Do you not think it is time to proceed with our quest?"

"That depends," Jaden mumbled softly as another shiver rocked his body, "Is it lunchtime yet?" Shifting, he let out an audible moan as he finally found a warm spot. The warmth began to battle the cold along the surface of his body. Professor Banner chucked before turning away from the young man, noticing Yubel staring intently out of the cave. He approached her as she gazed out at the frozen tundra that appeared to have locked her attention. Her face bore an extremely serious expression, one that worried Banner.

"Yubel, what is it?" Professor Banner asked with a mixture of curiosity and concern in his voice. Yubel refused to rip her eyes from their sacred vigil as she took her time to respond to her spiritual comrade.

"Something is not right here," she began, "I know not what it is but the area around here feels drained." Professor Banner's brow furrowed with confusion.

"Drained?" Professor Banner responded as more concern began to creep into his heart. Though he did not necessarily understand Yubel's connection to the world or her powers, they were items he took very seriously. Even a dead man had a right to be concerned.

"Yes, on more levels than one," Yubel continued, "This doesn't feel like Duel Energy is being harnessed from duelists and Duel Spirits, as we've seen in the past, but rather the energy in the air itself is being drained as well,"

"Like the Sacred Beasts?" Professor Banner began quizzically, "Or perhaps some advanced Bio-Band technology?"

"Not exactly, but similar," Yubel replied, "This just feels darker. I know not what it is but it is incredibly powerful,"

"Hey!" Jaden cried out, inadvertently interrupted the conversation. Both turned to find the young man, still desperately trying to cling to sleep, with a cat batting at his face. A smile grew across Professor Banner's lips as he examined the scene. Pharaoh was obviously hungry and Jaden was tired, so a battle of wills had begun. Still, even such a carefree and innocent display such as that was unable to shake the gravity of Yubel's words.

"I can also feel the gaze of watchful eyes," Yubel continued as she turned back toward the cave entrance.

"How is it Jaden has not felt it?" Professor Banner asked, "Do you not share the same spirit?" Another item on the list of things Professor Banner couldn't understand. He always failed to fully comprehend the merging of Jaden and Yubel's spirit. Particularly that they still seemed to be able to exist as separate entities. It was most confusing. A solemn smirk spread across Yubel's face.

"I suspect that he has despite my best efforts to shield him," Yubel replied, "He truly is a remarkably brave person,"

"That," Professor Banner responded, "Or he is still incredibly foolish,"

"Perhaps a little of both," Yubel finished with a smirk as an exceptionally strong gust of frigid air rushed through the cave, taking with it Jaden's blanket as well as his last bit of patience. His warm skin was bombarded by the cold air as he let out a cry of shock.

"Okay! Okay! I'm up!" he cried as he leapt up into the air in a ridiculous display. He quickly donned his warm jacket and held it close to him.

"Man, talk about a bad way to wake up!" Jaden continued with a yawn as he began to shuffle about the cave. Slowly but surely he began to gather his supplies but not before feeding an anxious Pharaoh who continued to whine until he was appeased. From there, Jaden began to pack up his travel gear into his bag. It always impressed him just how much junk he could fit in the rather small bag he carried over his shoulder. One of the best purchases he had ever made in his life. After that, it was time for chow and for him that meant a protein bar.

"Oh man!" he cried out as he pulled the bar from his pack, "Talk about cutting back! I sure do miss the all-you-can-eat buffet on the boat,"

"You mean the one that you snuck into?" Professor Banner replied jokingly.

"Hey, I paid for the ride! Besides, they had plenty!" Jaden answered defensively as he began to eat the bar heartily. It was stale and dry, sucking up all of the moisture in his mouth. The very faint taste of chocolate was masked by overwhelming fake peanut butter. To most, it would have been a repulsive breakfast but not Jaden. He savored every minute of it. His only gripe was that it wasn't big enough and that he didn't have more. Jaden realized early on that it wouldn't be all-you-can-eat buffets while he was out there but it never hurt to dream. Besides, he was sure that North Academy had plenty of food and by the time he got there he was going to eat all of it. He still longed for the meals he had enjoyed in the run down red dorm during his days at Duel Academy. Jaden then turned his attention to the two spirits taking up the cave entrance.

"What's up guys?" Jaden asked as he took his last bite, an almost soul-shattering reminder that he was out of food for that morning. Yubel dug deep to put on a smile despite the fact that she knew he could sense its fakeness.

"Nothing," she replied, "just concerned, is all," There was probably no reason to withhold details from the young man when he probably sensed the same danger but Yubel just couldn't help herself. She was his guardian and she would always shelter him. Jaden flashed another one of his reassuring grins.

"There's nothing to be concerned about!" Jaden responded enthusiastically. He could sense the warped environment that he found himself in. There was obviously a dark power at work here, similar to the Sacred Beasts or the Dark World. Yet, there was something unique about it. Something Jaden had never encountered before. It filled him with a mixture of excitement and terror. He knew he had to be careful and he knew that this would be dangerous but he also knew that this would be an incredible adventure.

"Jaden," Yubel began in a serious tone, "I believe this mission to be far more dangerous than we anticipated,"

"I know," Jaden replied in a tone equally serious, "Thanks, guys. I know we've got this." Jaden took a deep breath as he glanced outside. He then returned his gaze to his two spiritual companions. With them by his side, he knew he was never truly alone. Whatever was happening out there, no matter how dangerous it was, couldn't overcome their combined effort. He turned his attention back down to Pharaoh who hovered over his empty food bowl. Undoubtedly, the cat wanted more but Professor Banner was right. It was time to get the day started.

"Alright, buddy, you've had enough," Jaden spoke softly as he packed up the cat's bowl and then made a move for the cat itself. Pharaoh, of course, naturally objected to being forced back into that bag and let out a howl as Jaden vied for him. Yet again, a battle of wills between the two beings began as Jaden chased the stubborn cat around the cave.

"Come on, Pharaoh!" Jaden groaned as he continued to chase after the stubborn feline, "It's time to go!" Pharaoh let out one defiant hiss as Jaden finally grasped the small furry creature. He pushed his items down in his bag, creating an almost bed-like pocked for the cat the sit in. His head would still be able to protrude from the bag and it was actually a pretty comfortable spot. Still, Pharaoh was ferociously independent when it came to such matters. He threw his bag over his shoulders and looked back towards his spiritual companions.

"Looks, danger is just a fact of what we do. As long as you guys have my back, I'm sure we can overcome anything," Jaden spoke, rather softly for him, but with a look of pure determination. It still amazed Yubel on occasion just how brave the young man had become. At times, she still recalled the small and lonely boy who had nothing more than his cards in the face of overworked parents.

"Jaden," Yubel muttered with a smile as she gave him a nod of approval, watching as the young man took his first cautious steps out into the cold. The air assaulted his face, sending a chill down his spine. He could feel the ever-watchful eyes of something on his back and many doubts hung to the back of his mind. All of this did little to combat the feeling of pure excitement he held at the pit of his being. A smile stretched from one ear to the other as he took a big gulp of cold air and continued forward.

"If something or someone out there is behind this, then I hope it likes games," Jaden called out as his the snow crunched under his feet, "Because I'm ready to get mine on!"


	3. The Investigation Begins

Jaden continued his trek along the snow covered plains with the wind whipping at his face. Several hours had passed since he began his investigation and what he had turned up gave more questions than answers. He had come across several cards that were normal and unaffected, they simply seemed to be waiting for their future masters to claim them as part of North Academy's rite of passage. However, he had also come across several cards that had been completely blank as if they were stripped of everything that gave them their identity. It almost felt as though they had been torn from the holdings of the card itself. To Jaden's right, in the far distance, he could see the silhouette of North Academy. The winter air nipped at his nose as he continued forward, scanning the ground.

"Man, who builds a school way out here!" Jaden groaned as his foggy breath clung to the air, "Better yet, who goes to a school way out here!"

"North Academy is a fine academic institution," Professor Banner's voice echoed beside him, "Their undergraduate and advanced dueling courses are some of the best in the world. Certainly the best in North America,"

"Well, out of all of North America, building it as close to the North Pole isn't the best choice," Jaden shivered as he began up a snow covered slope. He long since lost feeling in his face. This cold was simply incredible.

"It really is a shame that such a terrible incident is occurring to such a fine institution," Professor Banner continued as Jaden continued his climb.

"This?" Jaden began as he began to pant due to the effort, "Oh, come on, Duel Academy has been through way worse than this! Besides, now that we're here they've got nothing to worry about,"

"Jaden," Yubel interrupted as Jaden neared the top of the hill. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her faded image hover over a lone card sticking out of the ground. It felt just like the others. Something had happened here. Jaden approached and picked up the card, studying it intently. Whatever this card was, it had been ripped from its very core.

"Yep, another one," Jaden muttered as he slid the blank card into his back pocket. It bothered him that someone, or something, was treating cards this way. He always valued his cards and treated them respect. This was due, in part, to the fact that he knew that at the heart of each card was the spirit of a creature and that warranted respect.

"Like the others, I can't even feel a trace of what this card was," Yubel continued as she looked at Jaden, "It has been completely drained of energy," Then, there was something different. It was a difficult sensation to comprehend but it was almost as if there was some type of spark of energy that struck Jaden, running down his back. His eyes flashed red and green and locked on a small outcropping of rocks that lay but a few feet away. Something emanated from those rocks and it was something strong enough to trigger something in Jaden. It also clear that this was a form of magic that Jaden had only encountered once before. In his duel in the past with Yugi and the Nameless Pharaoh. Without delay, Jaden approached the rocks with his eyes still aglow. The centermost and largest of rocks appeared to fade out slightly as it was likely an illusion created by the magic in order to protect this entrance.

"What luck," Jaden muttered under his breath as he stared down the entrance, "Day one and already found a creepy cave!" He squinted his eyes as he attempted to look down the entrance. There was a set of stairs the descended into the darkness made of pure, clear ice. Beyond that, however, Jaden could see nothing with his normal vision. He was only able to see the outlines of dark energy emanating from the entrance. Yubel's voice echoed in his ears.

"We must be cautious," Yubel warned as Jaden began to walk towards the stairs. For the first time, Jaden's expression bore no joy or excitement. His face was one of pure concentration for it was likely that whatever lay at the bottom of these steps would wish him harm. Slowly, he began to travel down the long set of icy stairs. With each step he went further and further into the darkness that lay in wait. His footsteps began to echo along the sides of the cave and the air, once rampant with wind, began to lay very still. Were it not for his connection with Yubel, he wouldn't be able to see. However, his dim, glowing eyes were able to cut through the darkness and illuminate his path. It was one of the perks of being merged with a Duel Spirit. He could see the bottom of the staircase and the carved ice that formed a more decorative floor. Taking a few more steps, he was greeted by two large columns of ice that had been carved into large, almost demonic forms.

"Well, that's creepy," Jaden muttered under his breath as his eyes continue to scan the room. It was a rather large room, almost an entryway. On the walls to his left and right were caves that went off in opposite directions. There were several pillars beyond the decorative one that seemed to lead to an altar in the distance, where two lone fires illuminated the darkness. On each pillar was the symbol of a strange eye.

"I believe this to be some sort of temple," Professor Banner offered as Jaden began to walk closer to the altar with his eyes memorizing the pillars. The energy in the room was very intense and it produce an almost sick feeling at the pit of Jaden's stomach.

"No doubt, but for what?" Jaden asked as he approached one of the pillars, taking a closer look at the eye, "And why does this look familiar?"

"That is the legendary Eye of Wdjat!" Professor Banner gasped as Jaden tilted his head. Was this just a relic from one of his old history lessons?

"The eye of what?" Jaden asked quizzically as he scratched his head. Professor Banner let out a sigh of frustration.

"The Eye of Wdjat!" Professor Banner continued annoyed, "A legendary, ancient-Egyptian symbol of the Millennium Items! We did go over that in class, Jaden,"

"Well, guess I shouldn't have slept through that class," Jaden chuckled half-heartedly, "Still, what would ancient-Egyptian symbols be doing all the way out here?" Jaden continued to stare at the pillar. He could have sworn that he had actually seen that symbol before in the past and not in some textbook. But where? Then, it came back to him. His duel against Yugi and Nameless Pharaoh in the past, when Yugi possessed the Millennium Puzzle. That was where he had encountered that symbol and this magic before but that didn't feel quite a sinister. The room in which he found himself in felt like pure evil. Still, what would such magic, Egyptian shadow magic, be doing here in North America?

"I'm getting some major creepy vibes here," Jaden began as he put his bag down on the ground, "I think we've found a major clue." Feeling uneasy, Jaden began to dig in his bag much to the discomfort of Pharaoh and dug out his duel disk. He then unclipped his deck and slid it into the slot. Not only was it a sense of comfort but whenever this much shadow energy or duel energy was concentrated, monsters became real. Turning around, Jaden found Yubel staring at the decorative carving at the entrance to the temple.

"What is it, Yubel?" Jaden asked curiously. Yubel shot him a look mixed with confusion and concern.

"That…creature," Yubel began, "Reminds me of an ancient tale that was told to me before I began my charge as guardian of the Supreme King. A tale of a ruler of shadow,"

"Ruler of shadow?" Jaden replied sarcastically, "Great, wonderful way to kick things off." Jaden then turned and approached the altar. It was rather simplistic; a large slab of ice on which sat a bowl of crystal filled with clear water. There various images etched onto the slab, images that strongly resembled duel monsters card. Adjacent to the slab were two torches that dimly lit that portion of the room. The shadows from the flame danced across the ice as Jaden climbed the few steps that lay between him and the altar. Behind the altar, on a great slab of wall, were many forms of hieroglyphics.

"Look, more gibberish!" Jaden pointed as Professor Banner materialized his spirit beside him, analyzing the area intently. It was imply amazing. It was like the Rosetta stone in that it contained various forms of language. Egyptian, Celtic, and even a form of language that likely belonged to the natives of this ancient region.

"This is simply fascinating!" Professor Banner let out in awe as he turned his attention to the altar itself. Many of the forms inscribed on it were that of Duel Monsters, including legendary ones. One form was that of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and another of the Dark Magician. At the center of the altar was inscribed a book which itself contained the Eye of Wdjat. Professor Banner leaned in more attentively. Could this be a legendary reference to the infamous Millennium Spellbook?

"So, can you read it?" Jaden asked as he looked over to his spiritual friend. Professor Banner let out a moan of thought as his eyes darted from the wall to the altar.

"I'm afraid I cannot translate this in its entirety," Professor Banner began, his eyes glued to the markings, "It appears to be written in some form of code. Though this appears to reference the Millennium Spellbook and the Pharaoh Seto,"

"Millennium Spellbook? Pharaohs?" Jaden started as he began to hastily scan the markings, "Rad,"

"Rad, indeed," Professor Banner continued, "But most dangerous, the Millennium Spellbook is closely tied to the origin of both Duel Monsters and the dreaded shadow games!"

"Awesome!" Jaden shouted, prompting strange looks from his spiritual companions, "I mean, this is totally way more dangerous than we thought but still, we're dealing with something that's tied to the origin of the game? That's awesome!" In the distance, a sound echoed from the left cave. It bounced off the walls and hit Jaden as his body froze with concern. Immediately, his eyes darted around looking for an assailant. Someone was close by and someone had some explaining to do.

"Perhaps it is time to leave this place," Yubel advised as her form, and that of Professor Banner's faded from existence.

"You got that right but first," Jaden replied as he began to dart towards the cave to his left, "We've got to figure out what that was!"

* * *

"So, what was your pop duel?" one of the Alexis' classmates asked as a gaggle of students began to walk from the classroom. It appeared that Alexis' predictions had been correct and the day's class was a "pass-out" day. Much of it appeared to be a scare tactic utilized by the Professor. It didn't faze Alexis any, she knew she would be fine. She couldn't say the same for some of the other students in the class. Some had really struggled up to this point. Such was the way in advanced dueling school. However, it appeared as though Professor Panchekov had engineered a slightly more difficult test for her when compared to the other students. Despite the fact that they weren't supposed to discuss the details of their specific tests, much of the downtime in class had been spent whispering results and details. Now, it appeared as though it was Alexis' turn.

"Well," she began a bit awkwardly, not wanting to boast or seem arrogant, "To be honest, it was really unrealistic. I mean, a Crystal Beast and a Blue-Eyes White Dragon? Those will never be on the same field. Seto Kaiba is in a league of his own and I know the guy who has the Crystal Beast Deck. It was an entirely implausible scenario but I guess that was the point,"

"I'm not surprised you were able to pull it off," Blue interjected as he approached the gaggle of dueling students. Some of them shot him a look of disapproval. Many began to jeer at him.

"What are you doing here?" one of the students spat, "You don't belong here!" Several of the other students were quick to join in, insulting the young man before Alexis stepped in. Jason, however, looked completely unfazed by the jeering. He didn't care what any of them thought. They were just ignorant card pushers with a fraction of his intelligence. He would remain the better man and not stoop to their level.

"Alright guys, that's enough!" Alexis snapped as she separated from the group, "You guys should be ashamed of yourselves," The group of students remained unfazed, however, and simply began to dissipate. This left the two unlikely friends standing alone in the hall.

"Where are you off to, Blue?" she asked warmly as her friend stuck his hands in his pockets. Behind one of his shoulders hung his beaten backpack. He chuckled as he shifted the weight slightly.

"Oh, you know, just the lab," Blue replied, "What about you?"

"I'm about to go back out and look for the missing students," Alexis admitted. While most would have been shocked and tried to dissuade her from going, Blue knew better. He was smart enough to know that not only was Alexis committed to the search, but she was strong enough to take care of herself out there. There really was no reason for Blue to be concerned.

"Oh, that's cool," Blue replied softly, "I'll let you get to that. Just don't forget that you're my subject on Monday, okay?"

"Are you sure you've worked out the bugs?" Alexis asked with a tone of concern and slight fear.

"Most of them," Blue shrugged as he began to walk off, "Good luck with the search!"

"Thanks," Alexis replied shaking her head as she too began to walk in the opposite direction, "Good luck with the project!" She continued walking towards her dormitory with a brisk pace. The halls were filled with students shuffling from one place to the next. Some still had classes, others were returning to their dorms, some went to the cafeteria, and some were just leaving. It made little difference. These weren't the students Alexis was worried about. It was the ones out there. So, she returned to her room as quickly as possible. There were little distractions along the way, students with questions she could easily answer. Just one of the perks of being her. Finally, she was there. The room felt so empty without her roommate but Alexis planned on fixing that.

"Time to go figure out just exactly what is going on here," Alexis muttered to herself as she began to gather her items. Fortunately, most North Academy students were issued rather large backpacks. This was due to the fact that North Academy had been built in such an inhospitable climate and going outside required preparation. Alexis made sure she had plenty of food, water, and warm clothing. She didn't need to plan for prolonged exploration, merely a few days before she would return and get fresh supplies. She was going to start by the entrance plains and work her way over to the card plateau. The card plateau was an exceptionally dangerous place but the risk had its reward. Some of the strongest and rarest cards could be found out at that icy cliff but a miscalculation would drop you into the unforgiving sea below. This area was off limits to most students, particularly junior students, and even advanced students who wanted to venture forth to that location needed to sign waiver forms. Perhaps some of the students had gotten greedy and simply snuck out there. Alexis plopped the bag onto her bed as she began to pack it. After a few moments of stuffing, her laptop called for her.

"What is it now?" she asked as she flung her hands in the air and snatched the laptop from the floor, opening it so it was halt its incessant beeping. She was apparently getting a video call from someone. After a moment of investigating, she found it was her old friend Chazz, or 'the Chazz'. He was almost religious in his contact with Alexis and seemed to always call her on the Friday before a big match. Though he tried to play it off, he clearly was still interested in her romantically. Like that would ever happen. Despite the annoying aspects, however, he was still a friend.

"Hey, Chazz, what's up?" Alexis answered as she placed the laptop down on her bed and quickly returned to packing her bag. On the screen appeared the image of the young man with messy black hair in a worn black jacket. Behind him appeared to be quite a lavish room filled with luxury items.

"Just checkin' in on your, Alexis," Chazz replied confidently, "Because I obviously care more about you than anyone else,"

"Okay, Chazz," Alexis replied shaking her head.

"It's true!" Chazz continued, "How many of the others are this good at keeping in touch? I bet nobody keeps in touch better than me, I mean, when is the last time Jaden talked to you?"

"What's that got to do with anything?" Alexis asked, somewhat insulted. It was true that Chazz contacted her more frequently but it wasn't as if the others hadn't dropped her a line every once and awhile. Everyone except for Jaden that is. She hadn't spoken to him since they left the Academy.

"I'm just sayin'," Chazz spoke arrogantly, "The Chazz is your closest friend!"

"You wish," Alexis replied with a roll of her eyes, "Anyway, how's the Pro-Circuit?"

"How's the Pro-Circuit?" Chazz answered her in an almost insulted tone cocking his head, "How's the Pro-Circuit?" Alexis turned and gave him a confused look.

"Uhm, yeah?" she spoke hesitantly. Chazz was known to be quick a unique individual after all.

"Let's just say 'the Chazz' is becoming a household name!" Chazz boasted, "None of these losers can even touch me!"

"Didn't you lose two weeks ago?" Alexis snuck in, teasing her friend. Chazz looked visibly flustered as he sputtered for a few minutes.

"The Chazz doesn't lose! The Chazz duels according to his master strategy," Chazz finally replied, "I meant to do that, I totally won that duel." Alexis shook her head and chuckled. Chazz was definitely a different type of person. He made for an interesting friend but, despite his efforts, he just wasn't the type of person Alexis would want anything more with.

"Hey, what are you packing for? Are you coming to see me?" Chazz asked as he took note of Alexis' bag. Alexis glanced down at her bag. It was nearly packed completely and she was nearly ready to depart.

"No, Chazz," Alexis replied, "I'm going out to look for those missing students!"

"Alone?" Chazz spat back, "'Lex that's too dangerous!"

"Good thing I don't need your permission!" Alexis barked back as she clipped her bag shut and turned to her closet. Luckily, she had several different jackets and they were all warm…cute too. Chazz grumbled to himself. He knew better than to try and argue with her. She was kind of like Jaden when it came to that regard. Stubborn to a fault.

"Fine," Chazz squeezed through gritted teeth, "If anything happens, you know the Chazz will be your knight and shining armor!"

"Dream on, lover boy," Alexis replied as she approached the laptop and terminated the call. She did enjoy having Chazz as a friend but one could only handle so much of 'the Chazz' before needing a break. She would call him when she got back to let him know she was okay. Otherwise, he would use that wealth of his to come searching for her himself. She donned her jacket and strapped her backpack to her shoulders. It was heavy but she was a strong young woman. She glanced out the window to the snowy waste that awaited her.

"Don't worry, guys, I'm on my way, "Alexis muttered as she turned to face the door. With that, she quickly departed in search of her missing friends totally oblivious to what lay out in the snow.


	4. Nightmare

"Are you going out there again?" Blue asked quizzically across the table of the cafeteria. He stared over at his friend who had just returned from a couple days of exploration. Blue would never admit it but he was rather concerned after a while when she didn't check in. Alexis could take care of herself but so could a few of those missing students. She was clearly digging where she shouldn't be and if she wasn't careful would quickly find that she was in over her head.

"Yep," Alexis replied as she sipped on her soup. It was a wonderful, meaty broth with chunks of beef and numerous vegetables. It was just what she needed after a weekend out in the tundra. She had spent the past few days scouring the wilderness only to discover nothing. Not a trace of her friends nor the source of any of this trouble. Just one lone abandoned camp fire in a cave out towards the dock. What she had found, however, was plethora of blank cards. What good were those and why were they there?

"You need to be careful out there," Blue spoke with concern in his voice, "You might be biting off more than you can chew,"

"Well, you need to work on those stabilizers," Alexis poked back playfully, referencing the project she had helped Blue experiment with. Her left wrist was bandaged as a result. Minor singes, however, nothing major but it did serve as a point of embarrassment for Blue.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Blue replied as he scratched the back of his head nervously, "I'll have those kinks worked by tomorrow afternoon,"

"I'm sure," Alexis said with a warm smile as she continued to eat her soup. The two friends sat silently for a few more moments, alone at their table. Jason Blue wasn't really well like nor respected by many of the students, other than his direct peers. It was probably because of this that he and Alexis had become such great friends.

"So, did you find any clues?" Blue finally asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the duo. Alexis pondered the question for a few moments before deciding on an answer.

"Maybe," she began, "I found a bunch of blank cards but I'm not sure what they mean,"

"What could blank cards possibly have to do with missing students," he replied in a slightly annoyed tone. It was preposterous to assume that a couple pieces of blank paper could have any connection to a missing person's case. He frowned slightly. He expected more from Alexis. She was quite smart after all.

"Well, why would they be there?" Alexis posed as she began to drink her hot chocolate. The warm beverage slid down her throat, warming her insides. It was a welcome change to the cold water she'd been forced to drink during her time outside. The savory chocolate danced on her taste buds and a smile spread across her face.

"Perhaps, somebody simply dropped them," he answered quickly, "It was just trash, Alexis,"

"It's something else. I mean, it's too big of a coincidence," Alexis continued, "That I'd happen to find a bunch of blank cards in places were normal students venture to find their North Academy cards,"

"Seriously, I think that imagination of yours has gotten a bit out of hand," Blue poked, "I blame this Jaden Yuki character,"

"Don't bring Jaden into this!" Alexis snapped, "Just because you haven't seen something, doesn't mean it hasn't happened,"

"Okay, I apologize," Blue replied, holding his hands out defensively, "So, what else did you find?" Jason looked at Alexis as he awaited her answer. Had anyone else been at the opposite end of the conversation, he might have never dropped such a subject. He would have proven to them that their fairy tale delusions were just what they were, delusions. However, Alexis was exceptionally smart and extraordinarily kind. She had helped him in many ways over the semester and he was grateful for that. She didn't suffer from the same arrogance as the other duelists despite her skill. She had earned his silent acceptance but just this one time.

"I found what looked like an old campfire in a cave out toward the docks," Alexis shrugged, "Maybe someone arrived recently,"

"That's all?" he replied, "I'm sorry, 'Lex, but that isn't much at all," Alexis looked down at the remnants of her soup as she ponder his words. Even she had to admit that she hadn't found much. He was right not to believe her but she just had a feeling about those cards. She had to try harder. Every minute that passed as a minute she had let down her friends. Now she understood how Jaden felt when they left Jesse behind.

"That's why I'm going back out there tomorrow morning" Alexis muttered as she finished the last of her hot chocolate. The meal had been a pleasant escape from the bitterness of the cold but soon she would find herself back out there. That was just what Alexis Rhodes would do for her friends. It was what she had learned to do.

"Well, I'm finished here," Blue said as he gathered his items on the tray, "If you'll excuse me, I'm heading back to the lab to work on those….glitches,"

"Of course," Alexis replied with a half-hearted chuckle, "Thanks, Blue. I'll see you in a few days,"

"Good luck out there," Blue replied as he left Alexis alone with her thoughts. Somewhat dejected, she turned and stared out into the black void of the window. Her face still bore the bearing of confidence. She was great at concealing her feelings and staying in control of her emotions and she determined to succeed. Even if she alone had to conquer the darkness.

* * *

Alexis awoke with a start. Light blinded her eyes as they darted around an unfamiliar location. This wasn't her room. Pain rocketed through her body as her eyes slowly adjusted. Around her, she could feel the presence of others but she couldn't identify them yet. Her mouth was dry and parched and her head was pounding. She groaned as her eyes began to adjust to the light.

"Where am I?" Alexis mumbled as her senses began to slowly flood back to her. She suddenly felt cold. Viciously cold. As if she were outside with no jacket. There were also flickers of powdery snow dancing in her vision. How did she get there?

"Alexis!" a voice called, distant but loud. It was uneasily familiar. Alexis was sure that she knew who it was but her body was screaming too loud for her to figure it out. She was weak too, so weak. Every muscle in her being ached and she was completely drained of energy. She could only recall feeling such a drain once before and it took her to a very dark and unfriendly place. She groggily look towards the voice, a shadowy silhouette in the blizzard that had consumed them. She strained her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision, to see who would be her savior. Slowly but surely, the image cleared. It was a young man, his face red from the cold, with messy brown hair and brown eyes. It was a face she knew too well. It was Jaden, her dearest friend.

"Jaden…?" she said weakly as she struggled to get up. Why wouldn't her legs move when she willed them to? What had happened? Her body continued to scream against her movement and in the end she could do little more than shake.

"You're going to be okay 'Lex, I promise!" Jaden added over the roaring wind as she could feel him scoop her up into his arms. His body filled her with a warmth that travelled to her very core. She could feel herself melting into him. She couldn't help herself in such a weakened state. Alexis stared up at her friend, her savior. A feeling of security washed over her. In his arms, it didn't matter how weak she was for he would never allow harm to come to her.

"You fool!" another voice boomed, "You think you can protect them all!" His voice was completely alien to him. Threatening and foreign as it echoed through the snow filled air.

"Don't worry, Alexis, I've got you," Jaden reassured her through gritted teeth as he continued to trudge forward. How had the two found themselves in this situation? It didn't matter. As long as they were together, they could overcome anything. She only wished she could move! Not because she wanted out of his arms but so that she could help him. Help him stand against whatever it was that had done this. Help him stand against the cold. Her pain eventually ebbed away in place of numbness. That brought with it a new wave of terror. In this weather, pain was better than numbness. After a while, she could feel the wind die down and the light fade as Jaden entered the mouth of a small cave. She could barely feel her body, which was still completely unresponsive. She was trapped in her own body and aside from her rampant heart beat she could feel little else. Jaden scrambled to cover her up and provide her with warmth, a blanket of snow chaotically battle with itself at the cave entrance.

"Hang on, Alexis," Jaden pleaded with desperation in his voice as he took off his own Slifer Red Jacket, one his most prize possession. This left him in nothing but his short sleeve undershirt. Alexis struggled to force the words from her mouth, to plead with him to take back his jacket. He would surely freeze quite quickly without it. She was just too weak. It felt as though her lips were frozen shut. Jaden then rushed to gather some other items next to her. One item she could clearly make out was her travel bag. It looked as though its contents had been dumped upon the cave floor.

"Yubel!" Jaden shouted, "I need you to light this on fire so we can warm Alexis up," Yubel? Alexis' next thought was promptly interrupted as a violet ball of flame appeared from nowhere, shooting towards and igniting her bag. A glorious new wave of warmth washed over her and she could feel herself beginning to thaw. Then, the pain returned.

"Jaden," Alexis struggled to speak," What happened?" Jaden opened his mouth to answer but ceased when a deafening, inhuman screech filled the air. Jaden glanced back at her with concern in his eyes as he threw a few more items on the fire and pulled out Alexis' electronic student handbook. How did he have that? How did he know it had an emergency tracking beacon? Jaden quickly punched in the buttons and laid it on her chest, tucking the clothing around her. Pain emanated from every fiber of her body but she struggle to remain conscious. Jaden then patted at her hair to brush to snow off and let the hair run down his hand.

"I've got to take care of something, Alexis," Jaden spoke to her softly and warmly, "But you're going to be just fine,"

"Wa-"Alexis began but was simply too weak to speak loud enough for the young man to hear. Jaden jumped up, his duel disk locked to his exposed arm, as he charged out into the blizzard. Alexis desperately tried to will herself to move, to scream even. Anything she could do to stop the young man from charging out there. It was dangerous. He could get hurt. She couldn't lose him again. She watched as his silhouette vanished into the flurry of snow, all the while struggle to tell him to wait and to tell him how much he means to her but she was too late. He was gone. The fire crackled and continue to warm her but she didn't care. She was far too worried about Jaden. Then, a horrendous new sound punched through the storm and into her mind. It was Jaden's agonizing scream.

Alexis awoke with cold sweat dripping down her back. Panting, her eyes darted from side to side. Her heart pounded in her ears as she began to pat herself, looking for injuries. The pain, the numbness, and the weakness was all gone. A wave of calm rushed over her as she realized she was in her room. Exhausted, she fell back onto her bed and stared at the ceiling. It had been such a vivid experience, it felt so real. Could it really have been just a dream? She closed her eyes as she attempted to purge it from her mind but one thing still echoed within it; the sound of Jaden's scream.

* * *

Alexis took a deep breath as she mentally gathered herself to return to frosty wasteland. Her pack had been refilled and, despite the disturbing dream, she felt rather well rested. It was early and much of the school was still asleep. Such was the way during their study week. For once, she was grateful to be alone with her thoughts. She pushed on the large door, the cool air greeting her face, as she trudged out in the snow and began to scan the horizon. Perhaps, the hills to east would far some results. She began her long trek, trudging through the snow as the sun began its slow descent in the air. Its presence would provide some warmth but not much. Still, anything was better than nothing.

The journey took her over two hours but she finally reached to base of the hill. It was a rather steep hill and the top contained a few rocky outcroppings that many students like to use for exercise. She scanned the eyes with a frown, even if someone had left tracks the snowfall would have covered them up by down. She began her trek up the hill. Her dream still clung to her thoughts, especially the image of Jaden disappearing in the storm. She resolved herself to contacting the young boy as soon as she found her friends. Would that be too late, though? It was rather silly to be so worried over a nightmare but something about it felt so real. She couldn't explain it.

Finally, she reached the top of the hill. Something stood out immediately. A large, black sailor's jacket laying in the snow covered hill. Alexis approached it quickly as she kept her eyes open to anything in the horizon. As she held it in her hand, her nose was assaulted with a thick stench. She grimace as she turned it about in her hands. The disgusting thing was another clue that gave more questions than answers. She continued to search the jacket and for the most part there was little in it. However, in the right pocket she found several blank cards.

"What are these doing in here?" Alexis asked out loud as she held both items in her hands. The coat also appeared scorched, as though it had been burned recently. Her mind began to race for possible answers. Perhaps this coat belonged to some assailant who was leaving behind the blank cards as a calling card. Maybe it belonged to the kidnapper. However, she couldn't rule out that this jacket may simply belong to yet another victim. She just wasn't sure. Alexis packed the jacket into the side pouch of her bag and began to search the numerous rocks and boulders that lay at the top of the hill. More disappointment struck her upon the realization that there was nothing there, simply more rocks. Yet, something didn't feel right. The air almost felt warped. The hill had never been her favorite spot but she never recalled it being creepy.

"Great," Alexis grumbled, "Now, what?" She began to scan the horizon. The hill gave her the benefit of a bird's eye view. In the distance she could make out the beginnings of storm clouds that would likely hit within the next few days. She frowned. This meant she would have to ensure her return before they hit and would likely be stuck indoors until they passed. This would delay her search considerably. Aside from a few clouds, the sun now shined brightly. In the distance, she could make out the mountains that separated this area from the docks, the school itself, and the beginnings of the card plateau. It was a rather breathtaking sight, to be honest, if only it had been under better circumstance. Alexis struggled to decide where to search next. Something deep inside herself seemed to call out to her, pushing her towards one choice; the card plateau. It was pretty logical place to move on to but the area was usually regularly patrolled by campus staff. That was why she had elected to put it last on her list. Card Plateau was probably the first place searched by authorities and yet that was the place her heart told her to go to.

"I guess, to the Card Plateau," Alexis mumbled under the wind as began her trek down the hill. It would take her three hours to actually get to the Plateau itself. There were trees and obstacles designed to impair travel. It was meant as a sort of test for students wishing to claim the rare cards at the Plateau. Alexis had never attempted the journey before, she didn't have to. Her cards were enough. The time began to slide away like the snow in the wind. Alexis took no time to stop but simply pushed forward. Each step brought her closer to her destination, closer to finding her friends, and closer to the truth.

"Almost there…" Alexis reassured herself as the hours began to pass and the sun hung high in the sky. Suddenly, the sound of a large explosion emanated from the distance. Alexis locked onto it in a moment and her walk quickly became a run. Questions began to race through her mind as she ponder what she would find. Would it be the culprit? She panted, her lungs choking down the icy air as she sprinted forward. She was close she could feel it. Just around the corner, she was sure she would find the source of the disturbance. Turning the corner, she came to a screeching halt with her mouth agape in shock. Two figures locked in a duel. It appeared that duel had just ended. She could make out the lifepoint counter nor what was one the field but she could make out the opponents. One was a large being, almost a humanoid chunk of ice. The other was a young man wearing a bright red jacket standing near the edge of the cliff.

"Jaden?" Alexis called out in confusion. The young man's eyes darted to her immediately, a look of confusion and fear mixed on his face. He opened his mouth but was interrupted by the deafening sound of a crack. Alexis' heart dropped.

"The ice is cracking!" she shouted as Jaden lost his balance and fell. Alexis began to run towards the young man desperately, ignoring the other figure that had dueled Jaden. She had to get there in time. Jaden struggled to his feet before the ground dropped out from under him.

"Jaden!" Alexis screamed as she sprinted to the edge and peered over. There she watched in horror as the young man disappeared beneath the water.


	5. Close Call

The infirmary room in which she stood was small and cozy. Overall, the medical wing on North Academy was far larger than that of Duel Academy. This was, of course, due to the fact that the climate with which this school resided was far harsher than that of Duel Academy's. The luxury of this was that patients were each given their own room. While it was far from large or in any way comparable to a hospital wing, it did provide more privacy. It was here that Jaden had been brought after she had fish him out of the sea. There were fortunate that a patrol from the academy was nearby, otherwise they both might have succumbed to hypothermic shock. Still, Jaden had been far worse off than she.

"Jaden…" she whispered as she took a seat next to the young man. He lay in a cocoon of thermal blankets all designed to restore his body temperature. In the corner, the heater bubbled and churned to keep up with the demand to heat the room. Despite all of this, however, Jaden still looked pale. He was almost hard to distinguish from the chunks of ice. He was fortunate though, fortunate that the cliff was only about a twenty foot drop. Otherwise, he wouldn't have survived the fall. His face was almost serene and peaceful but it held the air of someone plagued by darkness. It killed Alexis to see her dear friend in such dire condition

This? This was the first time she would see her closest friend since their graduation? She would finally catch up to the young man that had held her curiosity for years only to watch him plummet to his possible death? It didn't seem fair. Her heart hung in her throat as she gazed on, her eyes pleading to let him be okay. She would give anything to see those brown eyes again. However, worry was not the only emotion weighing the young woman down. There was anger too. Anger that he had been here and not contacted. Anger that he had placed himself in that situation. Anger that he had, yet again, chosen to brave hardship alone rather than risk his friends.

"You can't do it all on your own, Jaden…" Alexis muttered as she looked down at the embattled young man, "Why?" She felt slightly ridiculous for asking herself that question when it was simple. He was Jaden Yuki, a young man who had already been through so much and yet never shied away from hardship. Someone who was brave enough to take on the darkness and suffer so that others wouldn't have too. Someone who had paid the price before. He had almost lost the spark in him once and Alexis couldn't bear for that to happen again. Alexis didn't know what was worse; his death or losing what made him special in the first place. So, the normally calm young woman sat by her friend, a chaotic battle of emotions raging inside her heart despite her calm demeanor, and all she could wonder was what was going on in the head of his.

* * *

"Okay, now I know we've seen that slab of ice before!" Jaden cried as he turned yet another corner in the labyrinth of crystal he had found himself in. It felt like forever since he felt confident in his path but in all likelihood it had only been a few days. The creature that found itself the target of Jaden's hunt had led him through miles of cavernous ice. It was cold and damp, the ice roaring with eerie silence. It was enough to demolish anybody's mood.

"Clearly, our little friend is playing games with us," Yubel muttered as Jaden slouched his shoulders with exhaustion.

"Games?!" Jaden cried, "Games I can handle, this isn't a game!" A gust of air bounced from the walls of ice and sliced through the basic red jacket the young man was wearing. He let out a slight groan of discomfort as his senses cried out to him, the cold taking his toll. How he longed for that jacket that had been gifted to him by that sailor. Unfortunately, when this chase began the jacket was the first to become a casualty. As Jaden approached the first cavern, he was hit be a blast which had singed the jacket and cast it from him. He still had the bruise from hitting the ground. In a flurry of emotion, he had darted after his assailant without paying a second thought to the jacket. It was something that, at this moment, he deeply regretted. Gluing his hands to his arms and rubbing ferociously, he trekked forward.

"I tell you," Jaden shivered, "I'm done with hide and seek! The minute we find this guy, I've got a different game in mind," His footsteps echoed from one wall to the next, creating the illusion of volume in the vast empty void in which he found himself. Jaden cursed himself for getting caught up in this situation. Yubel had warned him against rash decisions and had suggested the possibility that this was all merely a trap. Even after the first day, when he had realized she was right, he pressed on. He was simply too committed, and too lost, to do anything else. It really was a rotten situation. Jaden turned another corner and was greeted by yet another wall of ice. This time, the frustration was simply too much to control.

"I'm done!" Jaden roared, his voice jumping from one slab of ice to the next, "Do you hear me?! Why don't you show yourself, you coward?!" Jaden stood for a few moments with his fists clench. Foggy air escaped with each breath as he continued to stare into the bleak darkness. The fortunate thing about it was that with his powers he could see in the darkness. Yet even his powers had failed to lock onto this creature. He could sense it nearby and follow its noises and energies. Every time he got close, however, it seemed to simply vanish before appearing again. It had led him in circles for days and it was time to make it end.

"Bold words spoke," a voice boomed from the ice forcing Jaden to adapt a more defensive pose, "For one so young…"

"Who's there?" Jaden demanded as his eyes darted around before returning to the slab in front of him. His eyes then began to glow, his powers slicing through the slab to see what lay within it. A large figure, almost indistinguishable from the ice, was concealed inside. Jaden grimaced as he shifted his feet and almost slipped on the ice. Whatever this thing was, it clearly held an advantage in this environment. Jaden had still faced worse odds before. The figure's face twisted to almost an evil smile and with one thrust, shattered the wall of ice. Jaden shielded himself from the flying shards as the sound from the blast flew through the cavern.

"Just call me, Absolute Zero," the figure replied as he shook himself free of the remainder of the ice. He stood exceptionally tall, much taller than Jaden. His form appeared to be carved of pure ice, his pale skin blending almost perfectly with the frosty armor he wore. Then, of course, there was his flowing white cap that appeared with consistency with snow. Jaden's eyes flashed once again as he scowled at the creature. There was no doubt that this was a Duel Spirit. Jaden could feel its extraordinary anger. There was another feeling too, buried deep down inside. This creature was powerful and dangerous.

"Alright, Zero, so what's the deal?" Jaden began, "Why are you running around and zapping away students and Duel Spirits?" Absolute Zero let out a cool and chilling laugh that resounded in the cavern.

"All in due time, Mister Yuki, "Absolute Zero continued as he began to float from the ground, "I'm here because I heard you were interested in changing to a different game. Though I must admit some disappointment for I was thoroughly enjoying this one!"

"If you're saying you want to duel," Jaden spat back as he threw his bag to the ground and engaged his duel disk, "Then, I accept!" Absolute Zero let out another howl of laughter, his voice low and deep.

"This cave is far too small to contain my victory," Absolute Zero spoke calmly, "I suggest a different venue," Absolute Zero waved his arm and the ice wall beside him began to glow. The light was blinding and intense. The wall began to melt away, forming a new tunnel. This one, however, was straight with no confusing turns or corners. Jaden watched as the tunnel continued to grow, tearing through the ground. The cave shook with energy as it was torn apart and rebuilt at the will of this creature.

"Follow this tunnel to the exit and don't keep me waiting," Absolute Zero finished as he bled back into the ice. Jaden could see his form vanish within the ice, almost as if he could transport himself instantaneously wherever there was ice. Jaden grimaced as he found himself alone once again in the frozen cavern. Ice clung to his breath as he pondered his option. There was of course the chance that this was all the result of this particular Duel Spirit but something about the impromptu history lesson he had ran into at the altar made him doubt that. Still, this Absolute Zero character was obviously connected in a major way. Dueling him would shed some light on the situation, not to mention make things a bit more interesting. Yubel's spirit appeared next to him, staring down the tunnel.

"This is most certainly a trap," Yubel spoke sternly as the new tunnel seemed to go on endlessly. Jaden peered into the darkness that lay ahead with a determined smirk.

"True, but anything beats wandering around down here in circle," Jaden replied as he disengaged his duel disk and picked his bag from the ground. In all honesty, he was quite disappointed that Absolute Zero had refused to duel him there and now and he was even more motivated after Zero's assertion of victory. Something told Jaden that this Spirit probably had some tricks up its sleeve.

"Jaden," Yubel continued, "We must be cautious! This creature is clearly very powerful!"

"Yep," Jaden replied as he began to walk forward, "But, come on guys, we've got this!"

* * *

"The good news is that his body temperature is higher so we don't have to worry about hypothermia," the attendant explained to Alexis. He was a rather short man and stocky, sporting a trim haircut and glasses. His white jacket bore the evidence of experience with worn patches all over. All in all, he inspired an air of confidence in a room when he walked in. He seemed like to type of person who could cure any ailment. However, it didn't matter to Alexis where the news came from, her heart rose from just hearing it.

"Unfortunately, he hasn't recovered from the shock yet and has developed a fever," he continued solemnly as he glanced over at Jaden, knocking down her heart once again. She turned back towards her friend. He had regained some of the color in his face and beads of sweat now glistened on his brow. He was breathing much louder and more intensely then before. He had gone from one extreme to the other. Earlier, he was deathly still but now it was clear that he was struggle. Alexis' face morphed into a look of concern and she continued to control her emotions.

"Will he be okay?" she asked, admittedly more desperately than she had originally intended. She had always hated the image of a pining and helpless school girl begging for help but this wasn't something that her smarts or duel skills could impact. In this situation, she was actually helpless. The attendant scratched the back of his neck as he raced for an answer.

"Difficult to say, we'll keep an eye on him," he replied with a warm smile, "Why don't you go back to the dorms and get some rest. We'll keep you posted,"

"No," Alexis spat back, refusing to tear her eyes from the young man, "T-Thank you but I think I'll stay," How could she leave him like this? Knowing Jaden, he had come to investigate the missing students, just as she had done. He didn't even know them and yet he was willing to travel across the world and put himself in harm's way for them. How could she abandon him now? Alexis again retook her seat as she looked upon his face. It hurt her to see him in so much agony. The silence in the room assaulted her ears like daggers. Each one brought with it more weight until it was unbearable.

"Jaden," she began in an effort to dispel the darkness, "Do you remember the first time we dueled?" She waited for a few moments foolishly, as if waiting for an answer. Silence was her only response and she was exceptionally grateful for the privacy of their room.

"I'll never forget," Alexis continued, "You had already stood out among other students in my mind after your victory over Crowler and your match with Chazz. You just had this natural talent and I had to experience it first hand," Alexis stood from her chair, walking to the small jug of water that sat in the corner and pouring herself a glass.

"I had threated to get you and Syrus both expelled" she kept speaking softly," Of course, I never would have done it. I just had to see for myself and you were eager to accept my challenge," She returned to her dear friend's side as she sipped at her water. As she closed her eyes, she could almost see their first duel happening before her. The twists and the turns. The excitement.

"And you were just as amazing as I expected," she continued, "You dueled with this energy and excitement that I had never seen before. Unlike so many of our other classmates, you dueled for the pure joy of it." Alexis stared down silently at her friend. He truly had held a concept of dueling that was far beyond his years. Where the other students were interested in grades, money, or the pro-league, Jaden was only interested in the game itself. He wanted to duel the best and have fun doing it. His energetic style and smile had served as a source of inspiration for many. It was what made him stand out and it was what made him impossible to forget.

"Then, life threw you in duels that were crueler and yet you still rose to the challenge," Alexis said softly, "Shadow Riders and the Society of Light. Every time, you rose to the challenge and never lost that spark. Where others concerned themselves with tournaments and medals, you were worried about saving your friends. Like the monsters you keep in your deck, you were a hero," Alexis' face turned far more solemn as she began to approach the darker years during her time with Jaden. They had shared a deep friendship from the beginning. Unlike the other guys, Jaden had never pined over her. This also meant that Jaden never noticed her growing feelings. Feelings that she herself didn't completely understand. She was confident and collected but whenever it came to Jaden she would let her guard down.

"After that, the incident with Yubel tore everyone apart," Alexis began sadly, "It had unlocked a part of you that was dark and terrifying, a part that almost took you from all of us. Even when we all got back, it felt like we had lost you. It felt that you had had that spark that made you special torn out of you," It was true, Jaden had become distant after they returned. It had hurt Alexis to see her friend change so much. It hurt to know that he had grown more callous as a result of the pain that life had inflicted on him and she feared that she would never see the smile that had been so infectious her first year. Even then, the spark wasn't gone completely. She was able to see it again at the end of their tag team tournament. Neither had ever intended to even duel that day and yet they had been thrown together and despite some friction they eventually became an unstoppable team. It was during that tournament that she realized the strength of her feelings for Jaden. Nobody else, through their mere actions, could have impacted her so greatly.

"I got you back, though," she muttered, "At the end of the tag tournament, you helped me realize that I wanted to come here to study. I can never thank you enough for that. I also can't ever explain how I feel towards you," Alexis hung her head slightly as she stared down at her friend. His chest rose and fell rhythmically, a fast tempo but consistent, and the air sounded coarse as it left his throat. Sweat had begun to soak through his sheets as he lay there struggling. Alexis continued her vigil as she steeled herself. As she continued to speak to her friend, her face was not that of a pining school girl but a girl solemnly remembering the times with her closest friend. The talking just made her feel better.

"The truth is, Jaden, you are an amazing person. I can't think of anyone who wouldn't want to be your friend and I'm grateful to have met you," Alexis continued before finishing, "And regardless of whatever happens in our lives, I love having you in my life." With that, Alexis leaned back in her chair as the sun outside began to set. Darkness flooded the room as exhaustion began to overwhelm Alexis' body. Her eyelids began to get heavier and heavier before finally she succumbed to sleep.

* * *

The light was blinding as Jaden emerged from the dark tunnel. His spirit rose as he felt the warmth of the suns light against his cheek. Spending days in a cavern is no way for a young man to live. Despite the concern that lay in his heart over his impending battle with Zero, Jaden was quite calm as he strolled out into the snow. His eyes scanned the horizon as he noticed a plateau. Curious, he walked towards it and began to absorb the sight. For miles ahead there was nothing by blue water littered with chunks of ice. The frigid air began to assault his senses even worse no as he began to shiver. Then, he could sense the presence of Zero returning.

"Welcome, Mister Yuki, to Card Plateau!" Zero spoke as he threw his arms in air as if beckoning Jaden to look around. Jaden had to admit that the sight was serene but he was far too cold to waste all of his time admiring the scenery.

"Quite a view," Jaden mocked as he lay his bag gently on the ground and walked towards Zero. In the sun, the figure now cast an extraordinarily large shadow. It would have made him menacing to most but not Jaden. Jaden had fought bigger and better.

"I'm glad you enjoy it, Mister Yuki," Zero replied as frozen crystal began to overlap on his arm, "Now, how about our little match, Mister Yuki?" A chill ran down Jaden's spine every time Zero called him Mister Yuki. It simply bothered him. Jaden shook his head and cleared his mind. He couldn't afford to get distracted by the little things here. That could be a deadly mistake. After a few more moments, the ice on Zero's arm formed a clear crystal duel disk. Jaden had to admit that out of all the morphed duel disks he had seen in his day, this one was quite impressive. Without saying a word, he immediately engaged his duel disk and both player's life point reader jumped to four thousand.

"Absolute Zero, it's time to get your game on!" Jaden announced as he tore his first five cards from his hand and analyzed them quickly. It wasn't a bad hand but Jaden couldn't afford to make any assumptions. He had no idea what type of cards this Duel Spirit was sporting nor his strategy. However, strengthening his hand was always a good move. He pulled one card from his hand and slapped it sideways on his disk.

"I'll start things off with Elemental Hero Bubbleman in Defense Mode!" Jaden announced as Bubbleman sprang forth from his card with his arms crossed defensively, "Whenever I summon Bubbleman and there are no other cards in play, I get to draw two more cards!" Jaden quickly pulled the next two cards from the deck and added them to his hand. Then, he pulled another card from his hand and slid it into his duel disk.

"I'll throw down a face-down and call it a turn!" Jaden finished as his facedown card appeared into existence in a flash of light. Absolute Zero chuckled in a rather low and menacing way, like an elder would chuckle at a naïve child.

"Perhaps a good turn for your little card tournaments but not here," Absolute Zero taunted as he calmly pulled his first card. Jaden grimaced slightly as he noticed the effect Zero had on his cards. As they were pulled from his deck, they were frozen in blocks of ice. That couldn't be comfortable for the cards.

"I'll summon my Blizzard Falcon in Attack Mode!" Zero announced as bird of pure ice materialized on the field. With fifteen hundred attack points, it was more than a match for Jaden's Bubbleman. As the frozen card was placed on the duel disk it transformed, appearing as though it was carved on the duel disk itself. This was certainly new to Jaden but at least he didn't have to worry about the card's discomfort. After all, ice monsters had to love ice, right?

"As nice as it is to see Bubbleman, I'll have to give him the cold shoulder," Zero continued as his bird took flight, "Blizzard Falcon, destroyed Elemental Hero Bubbleman!" The bird of ice closed the distance before hovering, shooting daggers of ice towards the lone Elemental Hero. He was sliced in pieces before he shattered from the field.

"Good thing my Bubbleman was in Defense Mode, so my life points are safe!" Jaden scowled, relieved. Absolute Zero let out another low and chilling laugh.

"While normally that would be the case, Mister Yuki, my Blizzard Falcon has a special ability," Zero replied with a cold smile, "Whenever it destroys a monster with less attack points, it inflicts damage equal to its own attack points regardless of monster position. That means you lose fifteen hundred life points!" Jaden gasped with shock as the bird again took flight, shooting a gust of frigid air that assaulted his body. With every second in the cold, Jaden could feel his strength waiver as his life points feel to two thousand five hundred.

"I'll end by playing two cards face-down," Zero finished as two of his own cards flashed onto the field. Jaden grimaced as he pulled his next card from his deck. Battling ice monsters in a frozen tundra with no winter jacket wasn't the most awesome thing in the world. He had to end this thing and fast.

"Time for me to turn up the heat and I'll start with my Polymerization!" Jaden announced as he pulled three cards from his hand, "This allows me to fuse the Elemental Hero Clayman and Elemental Hero Sparkman in my hand to form Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!" Jaden watched as his two monsters leapt into a vortex before forming the large giant of electricity that he had used before. Jaden looked at the cards in his hand with a smirk. Elemental Hero Thunder Giant could destroy one monster per turn as long as that monster had less attack points than Thunder Giant. This would leave Zero open to a direct attack. Additionally, since he hadn't normal summoned yet that turn he could summon his Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin to the field. With his effect, as long as Jaden discarded a card he could target Zero's hand. Any monster with less attack points than Thunder Giant would be destroyed and Zero would lose five hundred life points. After all that, he would then have to worry about his combined assault.

"I figured you would do that. Elemental Heroes are best played together," Zero interrupted calmly as one of his face-down cards rose from the ground, "Which is why I play the trap Mispolymerization. Let's just say this throws a wrench in the process my old friends were partaking in and automatically destroys Thunder Giant!"

"No way!" Jaden cried as his Thunder Giant let out a groan of pain as he exploded. Jaden stared across the field at his opponent. The way he talked about Elemental Heroes made it sound like he was so familiar with them. Almost as if he knew them. Yet his undertone was that of animosity and hate.

"What do you know about the Elemental Heroes?" Jaden demanded as the wind let out another howl, blowing snow across the playing field.

"All will be revealed in time, Mister Yuki," Zero replied calmly, "But let's just say we go way back. Care to finish your move?" Jaden reexamined his hand. He needed a new strategy. This spirit had obviously encounter these cards before and knew that their strength relied on fusion. So, he probably had a lot of cards intended to prevent fusion summoning via polymerization. However, that didn't necessarily mean he knew anything about contact fusion. Not many duelists did. Only those that had encounter the Neo-Spacians.

"I'll activate one of my favorite magic cards, Pot of Greed, and draw two cards from my deck!" Jaden announced as he pulled more cards from his deck. He read them quickly, recognizing them with a glance as a smirk spread across his face.

"Since I haven't summoned this turn, I'll summon my Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin in Attack Mode," Jaden began as his Neo-Spacian friend materialized before him," Next, I'll activate Fake Hero! This allows me to special summon any Elemental Hero monster to the field but I can't attack with him and at the end of my turn he comes back to my hand!" Jaden's hand quickly found their next target as he slapped another of his precious cards on his duel disk.

"I summon Elemental Hero Neos in Attack Mode!" Jaden continued as his iconic beast came to life before him, "And now, it's time for some contact fusion action! Fusing my Aqua Dolphin with Neos to form Elemental Hero Aqua Neos!" The two alien monsters leapt into the sky, the field transforming slightly as though going into space. The two creatures then merged together in a flash of light to form a new creature. Absolute Zero tried to mask his confusion. He had never met an Elemental Hero named Neos before.

"Well done, Mister Yuki, you seem to have avoid my anti-Polymerization traps," Zero commended with little emotion, "Most impressive,"

"You bet it is and now you'll get to see just how impressive it is," Jaden roared as he clenched his fist and thrust it towards Zero, "Elemental Hero Aqua Neos attack Blizzard Falcon!" Jaden's space monster flew into action and with one swing from his mighty fist, shattered the ice monster into a thousand shards. Absolute Zero remained unfazed as his life points dropped to three thousand.

"A decent move, how-"Absolute Zero began before Jaden cut him off. Ripping another card from his hand, Jaden slapped it into his duel disk.

"I'm not done, next I activate Defusion, which splits my Aqua Neos into the fusion material monsters used to summon it!" Jaden interrupted as hit beast split into the two creatures Jaden had started out with. For the first time, Zero appeared surprise. This individual was clearly as talented as most people claimed. Zero's master was right to warn him about him. Still, the duel was young. Within moments, Zero regained his icy composure, much to Jaden's chagrin.

"Since my Element Hero Neos was just special summoned due to the effect of Defusion, Fake Hero no long affects him and now he can attack you directly!" Jaden cried as Neos jumped forward and assaulted the icy monster directly. As his fist connected, Absolute Zero bent at his stomach but utilized all of his will to not make a sound. He had an appearance to maintain after all. Pain from the assault rocketed throughout his body but he struggled to remain cool and collected. His life points plummeted to five hundred. Jaden's heart soared. This game was in the bag.

"Now, go Aqua Dolphin, and finish this duel!" Jaden finished as Neo-Spacian charged forward. As it closed the distance, another of Zero's facedown cards rose from the ground.

"Close but I activate Numinous Healer, restoring one thousand life points!" Zero interrupted as his life points grew to one thousand five hundred before again falling to nine hundred as a result of the direct attack. Jaden groaned as his monster returned to his side of the field. Zero had taken everything he could throw at him this turn and survived. This spirit wasn't messing around. Jaden glanced at his two alien creatures, comforted by their presence. At least, he didn't have to worry about losing his monster to his deck at the end of the turn. He would be exposed. Absolute Zero pulled the next card from his deck.

"I activate Card of Demise! This lets me draw five cards but if I don't use them in five turns they me a chilling end," Zero began as he pulled more cards from his deck, "Next, I'll activate the spell card Double Summon. This allows me to summon an additional monster this turn." Zero grabbed two cards from his hand, both becoming overwhelmed with ice before bleeding into the ice disk as carvings, as he continued his turn.

"I'll use it summon my Blizzard Warrior and my Blizzard Dragon!" Zero continued as two frozen monsters materialized on the field. Blizzard Warrior was in Defense Mode and Blizzard Dragon bared its teeth in Attack Mode.

"Next, I'll activate my Blizzard Dragon's special ability," Zero began as his dragon flew up into the air, "Once per turn, I can freeze one monster on my opponent's field. That monster cannot attack nor change his position and I think I'll freeze your precious Neos! Go, Freezing Ice Ray!" Blizzard Dragon let out a screech, blasting cold air in all directions, as a bright beam of blue light erupted form its mouth and struck Neos. Neos let out a cry as ice entrapped his body from the ground up until he was but one frozen block. Jaden watched on in horror.

"No! Not my Neos!" Jaden cried. Jaden stared up at the block of ice containing one of his frozen monsters with shock painted across his face.

"That's right, Mister Yuki, and I'm afraid he'll remain frozen until the end of your next turn," Zero poked as he pulled another card from his hand, "To add insult to injury, I'll equip my dragon with the Frozen Pendant spell card, raising its attack points by five hundred!" Blizzard Dragon let out a ferocious roar as its attack points rose to two thousand three hundred. Jaden's brow furrowed as he stared into the eyes of the dragon. This was certainly not very good.

"Now, time to rid the field of your dolphin, I hope he doesn't mind the cold!" Zero cried as his dragon closed the distance of the field before unleashed a massive breath of ice. Jaden groaned as he shielded his face, the barrage of ice draining every ounce of strength from him. Zero watched with pleasure as Jaden struggled. He was certainly glad that his Master aided in the removal of Mister Yuki's jacket. There was no way the young boy could stand against him with the elements on his side. He was, after all, Absolute Zero. Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin froze from the ground up and with a swing from its mighty tail, Blizzard Dragon shattered it to pieces. Jaden dropped to one knee as his life points plummeted to eight hundred

"To add insult to injury, I play the spell card Mystic Wok! This allows me to sacrifice one of my own monsters and restore my life points with my monster's attack points," Zero continued viciously, not caring about Jaden's condition, "I'll choose my own Blizzard Dragon. This has the fortunate side effect of destroying my Frozen Pendant which inflicts five hundred life points of damage to the opposing player!" Jaden's life points again fell, this time to three hundred, as Zero's rose to three thousand two hundred.

"To finish, I'll place one card face down and end my turn. It's your move, if you can stand the cold, Mister Yuki," Zero finished as he stood boldly over his opponent. Jaden groaned as his body began to scream at him. The elements had begun to take their toll. His hands were now numb and his body began to shake uncontrollably. Jaden struggled to look up at his opponent. One thing was for sure. Jaden had to find a way to turn things around otherwise he might meet a frigid end.


	6. Fallen Hero

Jaden struggled to find the strength to get off of his knees. The cold in the very air seemed to draining him somehow. His hands were numb and his body shook uncontrollably but he couldn't give up. These Blizzard attacks had only added to stress on his body placed by the environment. He had to find a way to win this and fast.

"Jaden," Yubel's spoke warmly to him from his side, "As long as I am here, you will never brave the storm alone," A new warmth began to flow from deep inside of him, restoring his strength. In his mind there was no doubt that Yubel was going to help him to his feet. His strength began to flood back to him.

"Thanks, Yubel," Jaden replied as he struggled to his feet. As long as he had the will to fight, he would never quit. He was truly thankful to have Yubel by his side.

"And who might you be? Don't you know its rude to show up uninvited?" Zero interjected annoyed, "I'll have to teach you some manners!"

"You will not touch her!" Jaden spat angrily as he ripped another card from his deck and Yubel returned to his soul, "It's time for me to finish this!"

"Did I strike a nerve? Does someone not like having their precious friends threatened?" Zero taunted, "Talk about a predictable weakness!" Jaden grimaced. It was true that his desire to protect his friends had gotten him into some tricky situations. There were also times that he held back in order to save a friend. However, the strength he derived from his friend was more powerful than anything.

"We'll see about that! I activate Graceful Charity! This allows me to draw three cards as long as I discard two!" Jaden began as he pulled three cards from his deck and quickly slammed two into his graveyard. He then pulled another card from his hand and slapped it on his disk.

"One of the cards I discarded was Elemental Hero Necroshade!" Jaden continued as his new beast materialized on the field, "Using his special ability, I'm allowed to summon my Elemental Hero Bladedge without making a sacrifice!" Jaden's new hero of pure metal sported his blade and two thousand six hundred attack points. Not only that but his special ability would inflict piercing damage to Zero despite the fact that his monster was in Defense Mode. Jaden gritted his teeth as he pointed at the lone Blizzard Warrior, the heat within him growing.

"Bladedge, destroy Blizzard Warrior!" Jaden ordered as his creature charged forth, slicing the crystalline beast into two. It let out a screech of pain before shattering from the field, leaving with two thousand two hundred of Zero's life points which left him with one thousand. Zero raised one of his frosty eyebrow. The kid was powerful, no doubt, but could he still stand without his little spirit friend. Zero could sense the bond between the two and the fusion of their souls. It made Jaden superhuman and bolstered his resistance as well as his strength. Without her, however, he was nothing more than a human who could see the spirits.

"I'll throw down a face-down and call it a turn!" Jaden finished with a smirk. The cold was still fighting to get into his core but he wouldn't let it. He would fight for as long as he could, regardless of what Zero tried to do.

"Curious, I wonder if you'd be as formidable without your pathetic monster friend, Mister Yuki," Zero taunted as he pulled the next card from his deck.

"Do not talk about her or any of my cards that way!" Jaden spat back angrily. He didn't mind if he got insulted but his cards meant too much to him. They were his friends and had never let him down in the past. Nobody had the right to insult them. The wind picked as a smile grew on Zero's face. He had finally learned how to rattle the boy. This would be useful later.

"First, I think I'll activate Pot of Greed and draw two new cards," Zero began as he pulled two cards from his deck, "Next, I'll activate Gift of Life. This unique spell card allows each of us to summon the most recently destroyed monster. However, that monster cannot attack for three whole turns. So, welcome back my Blizzard Warrior!" Zero's card emitted a blinding beam of light that struck both players' graveyard. It pulled each of the monsters from its depths and forced them onto the field.

"Then I'm bringing back my man Aqua Dolphin!" Jaden called out as his sea-faring alien returned to his side of the field in Defense Mode. It was good to see him back from the grave. Zero stood for a moment, a solemn look washing over his face as he held his next two cards.

"Mister Yuki, I believe now would be the time for a proper introduction," Zero began as he slid his magic card into his crystal disk, "I activate Polymerization!"

"Introduction?" Jaden replied confused, "Are you going to summon yourself or something?"

"Indeed I am, Mister Yuki!" Zero answered, "I'll combine my Blizzard Warrior with Elemental Hero Ice Ridge!"

"What?!" Jaden cried, "An Elemental Hero monster?" Jaden's mind began to race as he struggled to recall if he had ever heard of Ice Ridge before. He had always made a point to collect the Elemental Hero cards. They were among his favorite cards and he adored having them in his deck. How could this spirit hold an Elemental Hero that he hadn't heard of before?

"This allows me to play myself, Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" Zero finished as he took one step forward into the playing. Shock was over the young man's face. Elemental Heroes were typically good. This antagonistic spirit had none of the traits Jaden had come to know in his Elemental Heroes. He was everything that they weren't.

"But…But why?" Jaden stuttered confused, "Elemental Heroes are supposed to be good!" Zero took in one huge and icy breath, the weight of years evident on his face.

"So I was once, before I was sent here," he began, "It was never the cold that got to me. It was the loneliness. North Academy's cruel discarding of cards to be claimed by students. As an exceptionally rare Elemental Hero monster, I was left here in Card Plateau. The problem wasn't my rarity; it was my focus."

"Focus?" Jaden muttered, "What do you mean?"

"Very few duelists require an Elemental Hero in there deck unless they use an Elemental Hero based deck!" Zero hissed, "You're the first duelist I've come across that actually uses these cards. The last time I saw that group was when I was shipped here. I watched as duelist after precious duelist risked their lives for cards but never for me. I just wasn't what they were looking for." Jaden felt a new pity for his opponent. Nobody deserved to be cast aside and forgotten. Decades of that could wear anybody down. Had Jaden known about this desperate hero, he would have certainly tried to save him before now. The least he could do is try to save him now.

"But you could do so much better," Jaden began before Zero interrupted him.

"Don't pity me! You certainly didn't come crawling up a Cliffside to save me," Zero spat, "No. I was alone until Ice Edge was dumped here and forgotten. Not even the precious few Hero duelists cared enough to find us. No, the world abandoned us,"

"That isn't true!" Jaden pleaded, "Please, let me help you!"

"It's too late for that, especially with the power of the Crystal on my side!" Zero roared, "Now, my special ability grants me five hundred extra attack points for every water attribute monster besides myself on field. That includes your little alien freak! This give me a grand total of three thousand attack points!"

"Please, stop!" Jaden continued to plead. This Elemental Hero had clearly lost his way and it was no fault of his own. Jaden felt a small pang of guilt in the center of his heart. After receiving his Neo-Spacians, he had stopped researching the Elemental Hero cards he had held so dear. It was entirely possible that these cards that now stood against him had simply fell through the cracks. He should have been more diligent.

"Now, to take care of Bladedge and end this duel!" Zero continued as he leapt forward and unfurled his hand, ready to freeze the opposing hero and crush him into dust. Jaden was quick to smash a button on the top of his duel disk.

"I activate Hero Barrier!" Jaden interjected through gritted teeth as the rotating shield appeared before Bladedge and absorbed the beam of ice, "Because I have an Elemental Hero on my field, I can negate one attack!"

"A feeble delay at best!" Zero roared, "I activate Jar of Greed which lets me draw one extra card. Hopefully one that will rid the field of your pesky monsters!" Jaden took a step back. Absolute Zero was far more aggressive now than he had been at the beginning of the duel. Before he had seemed eerily calm and now he was out of control. Could this be the work of some darker, more sinister force?

"And my deck rewards me with Raigeki!" Zero screamed triumphantly, "This allows me to rid the field of all your little friends!" Jaden grimaced as a dark cloud began to form above him monsters. With resounding crack, a bolt of lightning flew the frigid air and struck his monster. Each let out its own cry of pain before shattering from the field. Jaden could feel the pain inflicted on all of them, such was his bond with his monsters. Jaden grimaced as he examined the field. He had no monsters left to defend him and even his trap card was useless without a single card in his hand. Things were looking a little bleak.

"You need to lighten up, bro," Jaden spoke warmly, "I'm sorry that this happened to you and I can understand how you might feel abandoned but trust me when I say that your time in the light is coming buddy."

"Spare me and make your last move, Mister Yuki," Zero spat back irritated. Jaden shook his head sadly. It appeared as though, in order to tame this spirit, he would have to take him down first.

"Very well, I draw!" Jaden cried as he pulled his next card, a smile spreading across his face as he glanced at it, "And end my turn!"

"Why would you be smiling if you couldn't play a card, Mister Yuki," Zero scowled as he pulled his next card from his deck. It was a most puzzling phenomenon.

"Where's the fun in tellin' ya'? Jaden replied tauntingly, his expression one of pure confidence and determination. Jaden glanced down at his face-down card. The combination of it and the card in his hand would not only save him from an attack but win him the match. He just had to ensure that Zero attacked him. Zero stared down his opponent with his mind racing to try and unravel the mystery of the boy's move. Jaden was defenseless and currently on held one card in his hand. If Zero attacked now and connected, the match would be his. However, Jaden still had a magic of trap card on the field which might counter whatever Zero was planning. Zero pondered the thought, deciding it best to strengthen his own side of the field before committing his forces to attacking.

"I play Card of Sanctity. Now we must each draw until we hold six cards in our hand!" Zero announced as he began to pull the cards from his deck. Jaden attempted to hide his disappointed. Having a full hand would make his combination harder to pull off. Reluctantly, he pulled the cards from his deck.

"You seem disappointed, Mister Yuki, I would have thought you would have enjoyed my gift!" Zero taunted as he slid a card in his disk, "I'll set a card face-down on the field,"

"No way," Jaden smirked, "I love a challenge!" His cheerfulness only served to add to the rage bubbling below Zero's chest. Zero had already lost his cool once and while he was calming down, he had let off some of his rage. It did little to help his game and only served as distracted. That was why Zero preferred to be quite cool while dueling.

"Now, I think I'll attack you directly. Even with two thousand five hundred attack points, I have more than enough to wipe you out!" Zero announced as he drew his arm back to unleash a bolt of energy that would freeze the young man in place. Finally, the duel would be his. Jaden was quick to smash a button on his duel disk.

"Not so fast, I play a trap, A Hero Emerges!" Jaden cried as his card rose from the field, "Here's the deal, bro, you get to pick a card from my hand and if it's a monster I get to summon it to the field!" Jaden then held his hand up for Zero to choose from.

"So, that is why you were so disappointed!" Zero replied chillingly with a dubious smirk, "With a total of six cards in your hand, the odds of me selecting the monster you wanted is slim to none!"

"We'll see. I'm pretty good at this!" Jaden spoke cheerfully and confidently, only adding to Zero's rage. Zero's eyes locked onto each of his opponent's card. Which one should he pick? The odds were certainly in his favor. So why did he hesitate? The odds of making the wrong choice were very slim but still, the wrong choice could cost him the match.

"I pick the last card on the far right!" Zero finally spat out as Jaden pulled the card from his hand.

"Sweet!" Jaden yelled enthusiastically, "Sweet for me, that is! Now, I get to summon one of my closest friends. I summon Yubel!" Jaden slapped the card onto his duel disk and he could feel the stirring within his own soul. Due to their close bond, he could feel whenever Yubel was called to the field and watched with a warm smile as his friend materialized in front of him.

"Yubel?!" Zero replied in shock, unable to stop his attack from going forward. Jaden smirked as it closed distance with Yubel.

"That's right! You wanted to meet her and now, here's your chance!" Jaden roared, "Yubel, activate your special ability and end this!"

"With pleasure, Jaden!" Yubel replied in a firm tone, brimming with confidence as she charged forth. The bolt struck Yubel and she could feel the frosty waves of pain emanating through her body. Still, a smile spread about her face because now it was time to share the pain.

"Whenever Yubel is attacked, all the damage is dealt to my opponent!" Jaden explained as a bolt of energy left Yubel and struck Zero who let out a cry of pain, "Which means that's game! And a good one at that!" Zero howled as the pain racketed throughout his body and was caught in a rather large explosion of blue light. Jaden covered his face from the blast as he groaned against it. As the smoke cleared, the first image her saw was that of Yubel standing defiantly on the field. Jaden's grin began to grow from ear to ear as he felt the excitement of victory ooze into his veins. Then, his feeling was shattered when a new silhouette became clear. It was Zero and he somehow had two thousand five hundred life points.

"I think not, Mister Yuki, our little game is not done," Zero panted.

"No way, how did you survive that attack?!" Jaden cried.

"Simple," Zero continued, "I activated the trap Nutrient Z. Any time I take damage in a quantity larger than two thousand I can activate it. It feeds me four thousand life points before I take the hit!" Zero let out a howl of chilling laughter but ceased when he heard something strange. It sounded like Jaden's own laughter. Even Yubel had turned around confused by the noise but as the two gazed upon the young man, there was nothing but joy on his face.

"Sick move!" Jaden cried, gleaming, "Now this is what I call a duel!" Yubel couldn't fight the small grin that grew on her face. She was somewhat thankful that Jaden had recovered his ability to enjoy duels during his battle with the King of Games but she also felt that perhaps this duel was not the best time to have fun. This was far too serious.

"I must admit, you are quite tenacious for duelist," Zero admitted as he pulled more cards from his hand, "Though your attitude is quite foolish. I end with two cards face-down."

"Then it's time for me to claim this game," Jaden announced as he pulled another card from his deck, "Yubel, attack Elemental Hero Absolute Zero!" Yubel leapt from the ground as she extended her arm, a ball of purple energy growing her fist as she prepared her attack.

"A reckless move, Mister Yuki, and one that I am most grateful for," Zero interrupted with a chilling grin, "I activate the spell card, Power Gift. This allows me to send one monster from my hand to my graveyard and increase your monster's attack points by the attack points of my sacrifice creature. I send Kaiser Sea Snake to the graveyard, raising your monster's attack points to two thousand five hundred!" Jaden stepped back, confused, as his foot slid slightly on the ice.

"Next, I activate my trap card Ring of Destruction!" Zero continued as his second card rose from the ground and spat out a menacing looking necklace. It was a large ring surrounded by large capsule filled with explosives. It a flash of light, it clasped to Yubel's next. Yubel let out a cry of discomfort as she struggled to remove the ring from her neck.

"Yubel!" Jaden cried out helplessly. He struggle to think of a way to save his friend from destruction but there was one. Additionally, the card would inflict battle damage equal to the attack points of the monster destroyed. That was why he had raised her points with Power Gift. This duel would end in a draw.

"Good game, Mister Yuki," Zero taunted as the necklace let out a resounding blast. The resulting explosion rocketed Jaden's body with pain as he felt his dear friend Yubel's destruction. Even though this was a game, he could feel her pain. Confusion and fear wrapped its fingers around Jaden's heart. The last time Yubel had been destroyed in battle, it had been against the Darkness and he hadn't experienced anything close to this level of pain. Could this be the work of that crystal Zero spoke of? Jaden let out a howl of pain of the blast continued through the air and drained him of the remainder of his life points. He struggled to stay at his feet as his vision blurred.

"Yubel!" Jaden cried again as her pain again rocketed through him. In the end, a huge crater was all that remained from the game. His dear friend would have to recover before the next match. So would he. However, the bright side was that because it was a draw both duelists would be drained. Jaden fought the urge to collapse. The Yubel taking quite a hit, the elements felt much harsher to him and he began to long for that winter coat once again. Panting, he stared across the icy plain at his opponent who stood unfazed. A powerful duel spirit, indeed.

"Jaden?" another voice called out to him. It was voice that was almost immediately recognizable. A voice that immediately filled him with a new fear. His eyes darted for its source and within moments found it. Alexis Rhodes. The former Obelisk Queen and one of Jaden's dearest friends. She shouldn't be here. Zero might hurt her. He had to do something. Jaden opened his mouth to speak, to plead with her to flee, but was interrupted by the overbearing noise of a large crack. He could feel a shift in the weight of the cliff.

"The ice is cracking!" he heard Alexis shout as the exhaustion and the shifting ice cause Jaden to lose balance and fell. He hit the ground sharply, a sharp pain running along the side of his leg. He could feel the ice begin to fall. He struggled against the weight of his own body, desperate to stand not for himself but for her. If he fell, Zero might do to her what he had done to the others. Jaden would have failed another friend. He couldn't let that happen. With gritted teeth he struggled to stand but was too late. He could feel the lurch in his stomach as he began to fall. Fear and failure gripping his heart as he turned towards the water. In an instant, he assaulted by a thousand daggers of ice that flooded his vision. Then, all went black.

Jaden awoke from the darkness, fear and panic still gripping his heart. His body pulsed with pain and exhaustion. Drenched in sweat with a mouth dryer than the desert, his eyes darted around the room. It was completely foreign to him but that made little difference. He had to get up and he had to find his friend. But he was too weak. He couldn't even feel Yubel at the moment, she had to still be recovering from the duel. Where was he?

* * *

"Jaden…" that voice entered his ears. This time it didn't bring any fear or confusion. It instead brought warmth and security. He knew that she was safe. Zero hadn't gotten to her. He hadn't failed her. He turned his head towards the voice, a warm smile spreading across his face. His eyes met the hazel eyes of one of his dearest friends. Someone who had always meant a lot to him. Alexis Rhodes. She peered down at him, the weight on her heart lifted upon seeing that smile of his shine once again.

"Hey 'Lex," he muttered coarsely as he struggle to lean up, "What's up?" Alexis placed her hand on his chest to force him back down. He was in no condition to move.

"What's up?" she spat a bit harsher than she intended, admittedly shocking the boy, "What's up is that you almost got yourself killed again!"

"It wasn't that bad…" Jaden started as he attempted to, but failed, force himself up anyway, "Okay, maybe this was a bit of a close call." His laid-back response further aggravated Alexis. She had come this close to losing her best friend and he seemed to not care.

"A bit? Do you have any idea what you put me through?" Alexis scolded quietly, not wanting to disturb the rest of the wing, "I don't hear from you in six months and I find you plummeting into arctic water?"

"The plummeting wasn't my fault," Jaden restored hoarsely, "But you're right, I'm sorry Alexis. I should have contacted you earlier," Alexis couldn't shake the look of concern that was plastered on her face.

"I just don't want to lose you. You're my," Alexis began as she searched for the words, "friend…"

"And you're my buddy too," Jaden explained, "I just didn't want to involve you in this. It's dangerous."

"How many times will it take for you to realize that you can't do things alone?!" Alexis shot back. Jaden paused for a few minutes, absorbing the beauty of her face. She was clearly very upset and there were no words of his that could make up for what had happened. The best he could do was move the conversation forward.

"I understand, I'll be more careful 'Lex," he spoke softly with a smile as he fully relaxed on the bed. Admittedly, this was the most comfortable surface he had slept on in a while. It felt as though the mattress itself was eating him and absorbing his strength. He opened his eyes yet again but this time it was different. This time he could see what the worry had done to her. She looked worn down and exhausted with bags under her eyes. Her hair was rather unkempt for the former Obelisk Queen and her clothes looked worn. It struck Jaden with a dagger of guilt.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Alexis admitted as she turned her gaze away from Jaden, "It was really touch and go for a while."

"Thanks Alexis," Jaden replied with a warm smile, one that caught her gaze a second time. It was amazing the effect Jaden could have someone and it was amazing the type of person he was. Even now, even as he lay there battered and for all intents and purposes broken he could still put a smile on his face. He still tried to absorb all the negativity so others wouldn't have. He still tried to be the hero. But Alexis didn't want Jaden to be the hero if that meant losing her friend forever. Jaden let out a bit of a chuckle, the exhaustion evident in his voice even as he continued to force himself to speak.

"By the way, Alexis, the answer is yes," Jaden spoke warmly, his smile gleaming.

"Yes?" Alexis muttered, confused and obviously taken back by this question as her mind race for its meaning, "Yes to what?

"To your note," Jaden answered confidently.

"My note?" Alexis again sputtered, confused.

"The one you left in my bag with the others. You asked if we could meet again somewhere," Jaden chuckled, "This totally counts!" Alexis couldn't fight the small smile that threatened to overtake her face. After all he had been through, he could still fill her with warmth. Finally, at long last, Alexis was sure that her dear friend and fallen hero would be okay.


End file.
